PrEP in Pharmacy (UNITY) Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Barriers and Facilitators of Pharmacists and the General Public Towards the Routine Provision of PrEP in Community Pharmacy in the UK (UNITY)
IRAS ID
304648
Contact name
Austen El-Osta
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Research Governance and Quality Assurance Manager
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is the use of an antiretroviral medication to prevent the acquisition of HIV infection by uninfected persons. Globally, countries are at varying stages of PrEP uptake. It is estimated that there were 300,000 PrEP users in 2018 with most of them being in the US. on March 15 2020, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) would be made available free on the National Health Service (NHS) to those at high risk of HIV infection, from April 2020. Local authorities will receive £16 million in 2020–21 from the UK Department of Health and Social Care to deliver the preventive HIV treatment through local sexual health clinics. Though researchers have estimated that fewer than 20% of people who would benefit from PrEP are using the medication.
While knowledge of PrEP among UK gay & bisexual men (GBM) is among the highest in Europe, a small but appreciable number of users reported a knowledge gap among healthcare providers, including negative judgements. Greater awareness among health professionals is required to ensure these experiences do not undermine access or adherence to PrEP. Additionally, knowledge remains low in at risk groups who may not actively identify as MSM (men who have sex with men), and other segments of society including BAME (Black, Asian and minority ethnic) and in particular Somali sub-populations. More needs to be done to better understand why PrEP uptake is lower in these ‘at risk’ groups compared to middle-aged white MSM.
Our eSurvey based study primarily aims to investigate the barriers & facilitators for the routine provision of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in the community pharmacy setting in the UK. This will allow us to better understand the perceptions and attitudes of healthcare professionals & the general public towards the provision of PrEP in the community pharmacy setting.
REC name
London - Dulwich Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0289
Date of REC Opinion
20 Jul 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion