1. Conclusions/Implications
Integrating PrEP Referrals into STD Partner Services among High Risk Groups in the Jackson MSA
Christie Lewis1, Tigran Avoundjian2, David Peyton1, Kendra Johnson1, Matthew Golden2, Christine M. Khosropour2
1 Mississippi State Department of Health, STD/HIV Office, 2 University of Washington
Background
Results
Results (continued)
Mississippi has the 8th highest rate of HIV diagnoses among adults and adolescents and one of the highest rates of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States (U.S.).
Persons with bacterial sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), particularly MSM with syphilis, are at elevated risk of HIV infection.
Promotion of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to persons with bacterial STDs may reduce the incidence of new HIV infections.
The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) has not previously integrated systematic referral of PrEP into routine health department activities.
We sought to assess the integration of PrEP referrals among high risk groups receiving partner services in the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
Reasons For Not Accepting PrEP Referrals (n=79)
Summary
Methods
Over half (51%) of eligible clients refused PrEP referral due to lack of interest.
Only (26%) of eligible clients accepted PrEP referrals and had a scheduled appointment with a PrEP provider.
Of the 28 (26%) who accepted the referral, 75% were MSM, 71% were diagnosed with an STD, and nearly one third (29%) were a sex partner of someone with HIV.
Less than half (39%) of those who accepted referrals attended their first PrEP appointment.
In October 2017, Disease Intervention Specialists (DIS) in the Jackson MSA began offering PrEP referrals to persons receiving partner services.
Persons eligible for PrEP included HIV negative persons with an STD and any HIV negative sex partner of a person with early syphilis or HIV.
DIS educated clients about PrEP and systematically completed a standardized questionnaire to document the referral process, which was subsequently entered into an electronic Access database.
DIS assisted clients making medical appointments and contacted the PrEP medical provider to verify whether or not clients attended their PrEP appointment.
SAS 9.4 was used to generate descriptive statistics of PrEP referral outcomes for eligible clients.
PrEP Cascade among Persons Receiving Partner Services
Conclusions/Implications
Successful integration of PrEP promotion into STD partner services in Mississippi will require more consistent identification of at-risk persons, enhanced patient education to increase patient acceptability, and systematic efforts to address barriers to attending PrEP appointments.