Impact of Nursing Involvement on Implementation of HIV Prevention Services

Women comprise 20% of new Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) diagnoses in the United States (U.S.) with 86% attributed to heterosexual contact. HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake among cisgender women (women who are assigned female at birth and identify as women) is low. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) will assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a registered nurse (RN)-led PrEP project in Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) clinics. The PrEP-RN will counsel patients about their risks for HIV acquisition via telemedicine. Under protocol guidance, the PrEP-RN will order laboratory tests and initiate PrEP for at-risk women. A total of 440 at-risk cisgender women will be randomized 1:1 to the standard of care with electronic medical record (EMR) enhancements (e-SOC) or e-SOC with the PrEP-RN.