Tennessee Pharmacists’ Opinions on Barriers and Facilitators to Initiate PrEP: A Qualitative Study

Alina Cernasev, Crystal Walker, Caylin Kerr, Rachel E. Barenie, Drew Armstrong and Jay Golden
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Alina Cernasev: Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Translational Science, College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Nashville, TN 37211, USA
Crystal Walker: College of Nursing, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Nashville, TN 37211, USA
Caylin Kerr: Kroger Pharmacy, 9225 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922, USA
Rachel E. Barenie: College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Nashville, TN 37211, USA
Drew Armstrong: College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Nashville, TN 37211, USA
Jay Golden: Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy, Nashville, TN 37203, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 14, 1-9

Abstract: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is recommended to prevent the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Although an effective treatment, the uptake in the United States remains low. Pharmacists are well-positioned to initiate the conversation with patients about PrEP, but few studies exist exploring their unique roles. The objective of this study was to characterize Tennessee pharmacists’ perceptions about access to PrEP. A qualitative study was used to gather the data that consisted of virtual Focus Groups over four months in 2021 from practicing Tennessee pharmacists. Emails were sent to all Tennessee licensed pharmacists to recruit them to participate in the study. Recruitment continued until Thematic Saturation was obtained. The corpus of data was audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by the research team. Thematic Analysis revealed two themes: (1) Barriers to accessing PrEP; (2) Potential solutions to address barriers identified. These findings highlighted barriers and identified solutions to improve access to PrEP in Tennessee; additional financial assistance programs and marketing programs targeting patients and providers are needed to enhance PrEP access.

Keywords: PrEP; HIV negative; pharmacist; US (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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