Rural PrEP Delivery

The goal of this research study is to evaluate the preliminary impact of a public-health-partnered tele-pharmacist model for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) delivery in a rural state ("TelePrEP"). In brief, PrEP involves daily use of a medication (i.e. Truvada) to prevent HIV infection among people at risk for infection due to sexual exposure or needle sharing. In this study, PrEP eligible rural and small urban-dwelling public health clients wil be enrolled in a prospective study to follow their progression through PrEP care following public health referrals. The study will involve a baseline survey to gather data on participant beliefs and attitudes about PrEP and a follow up telephone survey 30-40 days later to ascertain whether participants have engaged in PrEP. Medical records will be requested as a second method to determine whether participants have started PrEP and whether they are still using PrEP after six months. The hypotheses that PrEP initiation and retention are higher in regions with TelePrEP programs will be tested against control regions.