Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Apr;6(4):329-338.
doi: 10.1002/jac5.1773. Epub 2023 Mar 2.

A survey of South Carolina pharmacists' readiness to prescribe human immunodeficiency virus pre-exposure prophylaxis

Charles M Burns  1 , Kyle Endres  2 , Caroline Derrick  3   4 , Alexandra Cooper  5 , Patricia Fabel  6 , Nwora Lance Okeke  1 , Divya Ahuja  4 , Amy Corneli  7   8 , Mehri S McKellar  1
Affiliations

A survey of South Carolina pharmacists' readiness to prescribe human immunodeficiency virus pre-exposure prophylaxis

Charles M Burns et al. J Am Coll Clin Pharm. 2023 Apr.

Abstract

Introduction: HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is largely underutilized in the Southern United States. Given their community presence, pharmacists are well positioned to provide PrEP within rural, Southern regions. However, pharmacists' readiness to prescribe PrEP in these communities remains unknown.

Objective: To determine the perceived feasibility and acceptability of prescribing PrEP by pharmacists in South Carolina (SC).

Methods: We distributed a 43-question online descriptive survey through the University of SC Kennedy Pharmacy Innovation Center's listerv of licensed SC pharmacists. We assessed pharmacists' comfort, knowledge, and readiness to provide PrEP.

Results: A total of 150 pharmacists responded to the survey. The majority were White (73%, n=110), female (62%, n=93), and non-Hispanic (83%, n=125). Pharmacists practiced in retail (25%, n=37), hospital (22%, n=33), independent (17%, n=25), community (13%, n=19), specialty (6%, n=9), and academic settings (3%, n=4); 11% (n=17) practiced in rural locales. Pharmacists viewed PrEP as both effective (97%, n=122/125) and beneficial (74% n=97/131) for their clients. Many pharmacists reported being ready (60% n=79/130) and willing (86% n=111/129) to prescribe PrEP, although over half (62% n=73/118) cited lack of PrEP knowledge as a barrier. Pharmacists described pharmacies as an appropriate location to prescribe PrEP (72% n=97/134).

Conclusions: Most SC pharmacists surveyed considered PrEP to be effective and beneficial for individuals who frequent their pharmacy and are willing to prescribe this therapy if statewide statutes allow. Many felt that pharmacies are an appropriate location to prescribe PrEP but lack a complete understanding of required protocols to manage these patients. Further investigation into facilitators and barriers of pharmacy-driven PrEP are needed to enhance utilization within communities.

Keywords: HIV Prevention; Pharmacists; PrEP; South Carolina; Southern United States.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

DECLARATION OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST All other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1)
Figure 1)
South Carolina Pharmacists’ Survey Responses: Experiences with Providing HIV and Sexual Health Care. Pharmacists were not required to answer each question.
Figure 2)
Figure 2)
South Carolina Pharmacists’ Survey Responses: Attitudes, Feasibility, Acceptability, and Readiness to Provide PrEP Services. Pharmacists were not required to answer each question.
Figure 3)
Figure 3)
Pharmacists’ Perceived Eligibility for PrEP (N=122) PWID (Persons Who Inject Drugs), MSM (Men who have sex with men), LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual), PWH (Persons With HIV), STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection)
Figure 4)
Figure 4)
Pharmacists’ Perceived Barriers and Needs to Providing PrEP A) Pharmacists Perceived Barriers to Providing PrEP (N= 118) B) Pharmacists’ Perceived Needs for PrEP (N=118)
Figure 4)
Figure 4)
Pharmacists’ Perceived Barriers and Needs to Providing PrEP A) Pharmacists Perceived Barriers to Providing PrEP (N= 118) B) Pharmacists’ Perceived Needs for PrEP (N=118)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV Surveillance Report: Statistics Overivew. https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/overview/index.html. Accessed July 30, 2021.
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diagnosis of HIV Infection in the United States and Dependent Areas, 2017. HIV Surveillance Report, vol. 29. https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/library/reports/surveillance/cdc-hiv-surveil.... Accessed May 12, 2019.
    1. US Department of Health and Human Services. Ending the HIV Epidemic: About Ending the HIV Epidemic in the US: Overview. https://www.hiv.gov/federal-response/ending-the-hiv-epidemic/overview. Accessed July 30 2021.
    1. Siegler AJ, Mouhanna F, Giler RM, Weiss K, Pembleton E, Guest J, et al. The prevalence of pre-exposure prophylaxis use and the pre-exposure prophylaxis-to-need ratio in the fourth quarter of 2017, United States. Ann Epidemiol. 2018;28(12):841–9. Epub 2018/07/10. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2018.06.005. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. US Department of Health and Human Services. Ending the HIV Epidemic: About Ending the HIV Epidemic in the US: Priority Jurisdictions: Phase I. https://www.hiv.gov/federal-response/ending-the-hiv-epidemic/jurisdictio.... Accessed July 30 2021.

LinkOut - more resources