Work package 4 - Promise PrEP

Health care provider options for PrEP

Brief summary

In work package 4 we will investigate different possibilities to deliver PrEP to its users. We will explore how PrEP care is currently organized, both worldwide and in Belgium, and how the Belgian service delivery model can be optimized in the future. By combining results obtained from this work package with those of work package 3, we aim to find out how PrEP care can be organized efficiently, while at the same time responding to PrEP users’ needs.

Main junior researcher: Jef Vanhamel
Supervisors: Bea Vuylsteke en Thijs Reyniers

Why this research?

Much of our current understanding of how to organize PrEP care is derived from early research studies on PrEP. Yet it is currently unclear what the best way is to provide PrEP through routine health care services outside a research context. We will bridge this knowledge gap by providing an in-depth analysis of the Belgian experience with delivering PrEP care.

Our main objectives

To explore how PrEP care is being organized in different settings around the world
To describe in-depth how PrEP care is currently organized in Belgium, and what best practices and remaining challenges are
To explore family physicians’ attitudes and self-perceived roles towards providing PrEP care in their practice
To inform the development of an improved service delivery model for PrEP in the future

How will this research be done?

A systematic literature review will provide an overview of currently applied service delivery models for PrEP worldwide
In a multi-center study we will investigate how care for PrEP users is currently organized in different HIV Reference Centers (HRCs) in Belgium. We will conduct interviews with PrEP providers and with PrEP clients, and do observations within different health care settings
We will conduct focus group discussions with family physicians to learn about their experiences and attitudes towards providing PrEP care in their practice

Expected results and output

An overview of the possibilities that exist to organize care for PrEP users
An overview of best practices for providing PrEP care, identified from experiences at Belgian HRCs
An analysis of remaining challenges within the current PrEP service delivery model in Belgium
Advice on how the delivery of PrEP care in Belgium can be optimized in the future

Results from studies of this work package will be combined with the findings obtained in work package 3 (“PrEP users’ needs”) to make meaningful recommendations towards the development of a service delivery model for PrEP that is both efficiently organized and responsive to users’ needs and care preferences.