The most useful thing about a new HIV prevention guide may be a question it never asks: Why do you want to know about pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP? In a pilot study at three clinics, a two-page decision aid helped people choose between a daily pill, long used to prevent HIV, and a newer injectable treatment given every two months, without requiring them to disclose details of their sex lives or explain why they wanted protection.
The study in PLOS Global Public Health details patient reactions to a decision-making tool.
The lead author, Wendy Davis, and senior author, Deanna Kerrigan, developed the tool with collaborators at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and community partners in Washington, D.C., when they were at George Washington University and have since joined the Rutgers School of Public Health. Davis now serves as program director for research development and training, Kerrigan as vice dean and Henry Rutgers Chair of Whole Person Health.
Two options, plainly compared
The guide sets the two forms side by side: One panel covers how each is used, how well it works and its side effects, while the other turns to preferences, such as taking a pill every day versus traveling to a clinic for a shot.
