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Lightning Talk Presentation 5
1:20 PM to 2:10 PM
- Presenter
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- Daina Iza Reimanis, Senior, Nursing
- Mentor
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- Jillian Pintye, Biobehavioral Nursing & Health Systems
- Session
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Session T-5G: Translational Sciences & Global Health
- 1:20 PM to 2:10 PM
Kenya has the fourth-largest HIV epidemic globally, with adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), ages 15-24, holding the highest number of HIV infections. Antiretroviral-based daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention reduces HIV acquisition risk by over 95%. Kenya is a leader for PrEP delivery in Africa and efforts are ongoing to increase PrEP accessibility; however, most approaches include expanding access within health facility-based settings. Many AGYW at-risk for HIV in Kenya access contraception at commercial pharmacies without interfacing with public sector health facilities. Commercial pharmacies could increase options for reaching AGYW at-risk of HIV with PrEP services. We piloted nurse-facilitated PrEP provision at 3 commercial pharmacies in Kisumu, Kenya. PrEP-prescribing nurses counseled on and offered PrEP to all AGYW purchasing contraception per national guidelines. AGYW who accepted PrEP were provided with a free one-month supply of PrEP pills. We evaluated acceptance among all AGYW offered PrEP; at 30 days after acceptance, we evaluated PrEP use initiation, and plans for continuation among those who accepted PrEP. We enrolled AGYW until 200 AGYW had accepted PrEP . We will use a concurrent triangulation mixed methods study design. Among a subset of 40 AGYW who initially accepted PrEP pills, we will conduct qualitative in-depth interviews (IDIs) to examine user experience of pharmacy-delivered PrEP. We anticipate that AGYW will report positive user experiences with pharmacy-based PrEP and that offering PrEP in this setting will increase accessibility to HIV prevention treatment options for AGYW. Quantitative data analysis will compare socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics between AGYW who do and do not accept PrEP. Data from this study will help determine if pharmacy-based PrEP convenience is feasible as it could increase PrEP availability and work as a model for future implementation.