HIV in the era of Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) v1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
HIV in the era of Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP): An evaluation of characteristics of people who have acquired HIV prior to and since the launch of a national NHS-delivered PrEP programme in Scotland
IRAS ID
261020
Contact name
Ceilidh Grimshaw
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 0 days
Research summary
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for prevention of HIV infection was launched on the NHS in Scotland for individuals at high risk of acquiring HIV in July 2017. It is a combination of antiretroviral medication which is effective at reducing the risk of HIV infection. Uptake in Scotland has exceeded expectations, however despite the availability of PrEP alongside other risk reduction strategies, individuals are still presenting with newly acquired HIV infection.
This study has two phases. Phase one is a retrospective case note review of all people diagnosed with HIV between July 2015-July 2018 (pre and post PrEP). The data will be analysed, examining for changes in common characteristics among people who have acquired HIV pre and post PrEP delivery in Scotland. Demographic, sexual health and HIV data will be collected from the Health Protection Scotland new HIV diagnosis database and case notes on NaSH. The researchers will categorise infections into whether they were potentially 'PrEP-preventable' with the current model of PrEP delivery or not. We will examine how we can reduce 'missed opportunities for HIV prevention' and whether there are common characteristics among the people whose HIV infections could not have been prevented with the current service model to guide changes to reach these groups.
Phase two is a pilot of enhanced surveillance with Health Protection Scotland. It is an anonymous questionnaire for people diagnosed with HIV regarding their prior knowledge and use of PrEP.
The findings from this study will be presented to The Scottish PrEP Monitoring and Evaluation group, The PrEP Impact Trial Management Group, and The HIV and STI department at Public Health England. The researcher also will submit the manuscript of the study for publication in a relevant journal and for presentation at suitable conferences for dissemination of the information.REC name
West of Scotland REC 5
REC reference
19/WS/0055
Date of REC Opinion
29 May 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion