Where Do Health Professions Students Learn About Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV Prevention?

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is crucial for controlling the HIV epidemic.
• Integrating PrEP education into health professions curricula is essential.
• A US survey assessed educational experiences related to HIV risk factors and PrEP.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the extent of HIV risk factor and PrEP training among health professions students.
• To identify discrepancies in educational content delivery.
• To inform improvements in health professions education regarding HIV prevention.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey study was conducted with 2085 students from medical, physician assistant, nursing, and pharmacy programs in the US.
• Data were collected on coursework and extracurricular experiences related to HIV risk factors and PrEP.
• Statistical analysis was performed to compare the coverage of HIV risk factors versus PrEP.

Main Results:

• A significant gap exists in PrEP education compared to HIV risk factors among all students (54.6% vs. 84.7%, P < .001).
• This discrepancy persists among final-year students (59.7% vs. 92.0%, P < .001).
• Pharmacology courses were the primary source of PrEP information (46.0%), with extracurricular activities also playing a significant role (61.3%).

Conclusions:

• Health professions education demonstrates a notable deficit in PrEP training relative to HIV risk factors.
• Curricula must ensure that HIV risk factors are taught concurrently with PrEP.
• Enhanced educational strategies are needed to adequately prepare future healthcare professionals in HIV prevention.