Lessons Learned From Engaging Healthcare Providers in Research on Implementation of HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• HIV Prevention Research

Background:

• Healthcare providers are essential for implementing HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
• Barriers to PrEP provision persist, necessitating better researcher-provider engagement for optimized delivery.
• Understanding these collaborations is crucial for advancing HIV prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize experiences of researchers engaging diverse providers in PrEP implementation studies funded by the US Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative.
• To provide guidance on effective strategies for engaging providers in health research.

Main Methods:

• Thematic analysis of collaborative case reports from 9 EHE study teams.
• Categorization of strategies, challenges, and successes across study development, recruitment, and data collection stages.
• Broad definition of providers including physicians, pharmacists, health educators, and peer navigators.

Main Results:

• Engaging clinical and nonclinical providers requires significant resources (time, networks, incentives) across all research stages.
• Recruiting clinical providers not yet offering PrEP demands the most intensive engagement strategies.
• Effective engagement strategies yield rich insights into PrEP implementation.

Conclusions:

• Lessons learned can inform future EHE-funded projects and other HIV-prevention research.
• Findings are applicable to improving provider engagement in various health research areas.
• Optimizing provider involvement is critical for successful research implementation and health outcomes.