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Observational Study
. 2021 Sep;38(5):818-824.
doi: 10.1111/phn.12887. Epub 2021 Mar 22.

Community engagement and linkage to care efforts by peer community-health workers to increase PrEP uptake among sexual minority men

Jason E Farley  1 , Derek T Dangerfield 2nd  1 , Jessica LaRicci  1 , Paul Sacamano  1 , Omeid Heidari  1 , Kelly Lowensen  1 , Jacky M Jennings  2 , Karin E Tobin  3
Affiliations
Observational Study

Community engagement and linkage to care efforts by peer community-health workers to increase PrEP uptake among sexual minority men

Jason E Farley et al. Public Health Nurs. 2021 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) prevents HIV yet uptake remains suboptimal across the United States. This paper evaluates the impact of outreach activities led by nurse supervised community healthcare workers (CHWs) on the PrEP care cascade.

Methods: This is an observational programmatic evaluation of LGBTQ + community outreach between March 1, 2016, to March 31, 2020, as part of a public health initiative. Descriptive statistics are used to characterize the data by outreach type.

Results: 2,465 participants were reached. Overall, a PrEP appointment was scheduled for 94 (3.8%) with 70 (2.8%) confirmed to have completed a PrEP visit. Success for each type of community outreach activity was evaluated with virtual models outperforming face-to-face. Face-to-face outreach identified nine persons among 2,188 contacts (0.41%) completing an initial PrEP visit. The website prepmaryland.org identified 4 among 24 contacts (16.7%) and the PrEP telephone/text warm-line identified 18 among 60 contacts (30%). The PrEPme smartphone application identified 39 among 168 contacts (23.2%).

Conclusions: Face-to-face community outreach efforts reached a large number of participants, yet had a lower yield in follow-up and confirmed PrEP visits. All virtual platforms reached lower total numbers, but had greater success in attendance at PrEP visits, suggesting enhanced linkage to care.

Keywords: Baltimore; HIV prevention; PrEP; men who have sex with men; sexual minority men.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
PrEP Linkage Cascade by Outreach Acvitity, Baltimore, Maryland, March 2016–March 2020 [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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