HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis: Knowledge and attitudes among general practitioners

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases
• General Practice

Background:

• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) became available through the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme on April 1, 2018.
• This policy change enabled general practitioners (GPs) to prescribe PrEP within primary care settings.
• A study was conducted to evaluate GP knowledge and attitudes regarding HIV PrEP.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the current knowledge and attitudes of general practitioners (GPs) towards HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
• To identify barriers and facilitators to PrEP prescription in general practice.
• To inform the development of educational strategies and guidelines for GPs regarding PrEP.

Main Methods:

• An explanatory mixed-methods approach was employed.
• A content-validated questionnaire was administered to GPs in the Mackay region to gauge knowledge and attitudes.
• Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with a subset of GPs to further explore findings.

Main Results:

• A response rate of 41.1% (45/109 GPs) was achieved.
• Only one-third of responding GPs had prior awareness of PrEP.
• A significant majority (71.4%) expressed discomfort with prescribing PrEP, while 60% believed formal guidelines would enhance their confidence.

Conclusions:

• GPs generally hold favorable attitudes towards HIV PrEP.
• Limited knowledge and comfort levels present barriers to widespread PrEP adoption in general practice.
• Formalized guidelines and targeted education are crucial for improving GP knowledge and increasing PrEP prescription rates.