Community engagement and linkage to care efforts by peer community-health workers to increase PrEP uptake among sexual minority men.
Jason E Farley, Derek T Dangerfield, Jessica LaRicci and 5 others
PMID 33749022WHAT IT FOUND
Virtual outreach yielded higher PrEP intake completion than in-person events.
Warm-line calls resulted in 30% completing intake, compared to 0.41% for community-based face-to-face outreach. Multiple contact attempts were necessary to engage participants.
Key findings
01Community-based face-to-face outreach resulted in 0.41% of participants completing a PrEP intake visit.
02Virtual models were more successful, with the PrEP warm-line yielding 30% completion of initial PrEP appointments.
03Peer community health workers required up to three attempts to successfully contact individuals who expressed interest.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was an observational evaluation without a control group, so it cannot prove that the peer CHW intervention caused the PrEP initiations compared to standard care. Demographic data was collected for only 26 of the 60 individuals who completed intake, limiting the understanding of who was reached. The program did not track retention in PrEP or adherence, only the initial intake visit. Self-navigation to PrEP services after outreach was not measured, so the true impact of the outreach on PrEP uptake may be underestimated. Participants were recruited from LGBTQ+ spaces and services with 'PrEP' in the name, which may exclude individuals who do not identify with the LGBTQ+ community or who have stigma-related barriers.
Declared interests
The study was supported by N.I.H. Extramural and Non-U.S. Gov't research support. No specific commercial conflicts of interest are declared in the text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the higher completion rates in virtual outreach as proof that virtual care is superior to in-person care for all populations. The study did not control for participant readiness, as individuals who actively sought out virtual resources may have been more motivated to start PrEP than those approached at social events.