PrEP and PEP are mainly prescribed in a ‘centralized’ way, by a limited number of HIV specialists. However, there are not nearly enough such physicians to meet the large and growing demand for PrEP and PEP. Reliance on these specialists is costly and detracts from their ability to care for those already living with HIV. To sustainably and efficiently deliver these interventions at the scale needed to achieve a public health impact, it is important to explore the decentralization of PrEP and PEP delivery by harnessing the skills of additional healthcare providers, including nurses. Both PrEP and PEP are well suited to the skills and expertise of nurses working in public health units, sexual health clinics, community health centres and HIV clinics, who may already perform delegated acts under a medical directive.
Participating nurses will complete a survey that takes about 15-20 minutes to complete and asks questions about their knowledge and experience with HIV, PEP and PrEP, their opinions on key issues and their learning needs. By surveying these nurses, this study hopes to identify the facilitators and barriers nurses face in the development of a medical directive which will allow for the nurse-led delivery of PrEP and PEP.
This study was made possible through a grant from the AFP Innovation Fund.