This is a pilot facility-based direct-to-pharmacy PrEP refill delivery to streamline care pathway in Kenyan public health HIV facilities implementing PrEP. Data on up to 500 PrEP users will be evaluated to understand delivery efficiency and in-depth interview with users and delivery key informants will be conducted to identify barriers and facilitators of implementation.
A prospective, pilot implementation evaluation of patient-centered differentiated care service. The core components of the multifaceted implementation strategy include: 1) 3-monthly refills, 2) direct-to-pharmacy refill visits, 3) HIV self-testing (HIVST) while waiting for refills, 4) Rapid risk assessment for ongoing risk, adherence, side effect, and acute HIV symptoms. Clinics will implement either: 1) current PrEP patient flow without any change or 2) a pilot differentiated pharmacy-based follow up PrEP care pathway. Clinics will implement only one delivery model thus eliminating risk for confusion in the clinic about delivery models and permitting a full-scale test of the system, since the efficiency in PrEP delivery is in part at the system level, above and beyond the individual client encounter. For this pilot project designed to primarily test delivery efficiency, feasibility and acceptability of direct-to-pharmacy care pathway at systems level using existing public health infrastructure, pilot and control clinics will be of comparable size selected to reflect the implementation nature of the design. The specific aims are: Aim 1: To evaluate whether a differentiated care model improves the efficiency of PrEP delivery while resulting in equivalent or better: 1) patient waiting time, 2) early PrEP continuation, and 3) adherence. Aim 2: Conduct mixed-methods study to understand patient and provider perception, experiences , feasibility and acceptability of a differentiated PrEP delivery model. Aim 3: Assess the efficiency, cost and cost-effectiveness of a facility-based differentiated PrEP care.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
746
Programmatic direct-to-pharmacy oral PrEP refill visits supported with client HIV self-testing
Partners in Health Research and Development
Thika, Kenya
Patient wait time
Total waiting time at the clinic and contact time with providers measured by time and motion studies
Time frame: up to 6 months
PrEP continuation
Measured by return to clinic for PrEP refill
Time frame: up to 6 months
PrEP adherence
Measured objectively through tenofovir levels in dried blood spots at random subset of PrEP visits
Time frame: up to 6 months
Acceptability of direct-to-pharmacy PrEP care pathway
Assessed by the Acceptability of Intervention Psychometric Measure (AIM)
Time frame: up to 6 months
Acceptability of user HIV self-testing for PrEP care pathway
Assessed by the Acceptability of Intervention Psychometric Measure (AIM)
Time frame: up to 6 months
Feasibility of direct-to-pharmacy PrEP care pathway
Assessed by the Feasibility of Intervention Psychometric Measure (FIM)
Time frame: up to 6 months
Barriers to implementation of direct-to-pharmacy PrEP care pathway in Kenyan public health HIV clinics
Evaluated through in-depth and key informants qualitative interviews
Time frame: up to 6 months
Facilitators to implementation of direct-to-pharmacy PrEP care pathway in Kenyan public health HIV clinics
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Evaluated through in-depth and key informants qualitative interviews
Time frame: up to 6 months
Fidelity of implementing of direct-to-pharmacy PrEP care pathway in Kenyan public health HIV clinics
Extent to which core components of the direct-to-pharmacy PrEP care pathway are implemented as intended will be evaluated through checklists and surveys with clinic managers
Time frame: up to 6 months
Safety of HIV self-testing
Accuracy of HIV self-testing measured by frequency false negative and positive tests.
Time frame: up to 6 moths
Reasons for PrEP discontinuation
Measured through in-depth qualitative interviews and surveys with persons who discontinue PrEP use
Time frame: up to 6 months
Cost of implementing direct-to-pharmacy PrEP care pathway in Kenyan public health HIV clinics
Measured through micro-activity costing and time and motion studies
Time frame: up to 6 months