Integrating preexposure prophylaxis delivery in routine family planning clinics: A feasibility programmatic evaluation in Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Young women account for a disproportionate fraction of new HIV infections in Africa and are a priority population for HIV prevention, including implementation of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The overarching goal of this project was to demonstrate the feasibility of integrating PrEP delivery within routine family planning (FP) clinics to serve as a platform to efficiently reach at-risk adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) for PrEP in HIV high-burden settings. METHODS AND FINDINGS: The PrEP Implementation in Young Women and Adolescents (PrIYA) program is a real-world implementation program to demonstrate integration of PrEP delivery for at-risk AGYW in FP clinics in Kisumu, Kenya. Between November 2017 and June 2018, women aged 15 to 45 from the general population seeking FP services at 8 public health clinics were universally screened for HIV behavioral risk factors and offered PrEP following national PrEP guidelines. We evaluated PrEP uptake and continuation, and robust Poisson regression methods were used to identify correlates of uptake and early continuation of PrEP, with age included as a one-knot linear spline. Overall, 1,271 HIV-uninfected women accessing routine FP clinics were screened for PrEP; the median age was 25 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 22-29), 627 (49%) were <24 years old, 1,026 (82%) were married, more than one-third (34%) had partners of unknown HIV status, and the vast majority (n = 1,200 [94%]) reported recent condom-less sex. Of 1,271 women screened, 278 (22%) initiated PrEP, and 114 (41%) returned for at least one refill visit after initiation. PrEP uptake was independently associated with reported male-partner HIV status (HIV-positive 94%, unknown 35%, HIV-negative 8%; p < 0.001) and marital status (28% unmarried versus married 21%; p = 0.04), and a higher proportion of women ≥24 years (26%; 191/740) initiated PrEP compared to 16% (87/531) of young women <24 years (p < 0.001). There was a moderate and statistically non-significant unadjusted increase in PrEP uptake among women using oral contraception pills (OCPs) compared to women using injectable or long-acting reversible contraception methods (OCP 28% versus injectable/implants/intrauterine devices [IUDs] 18%; p = 0.06). Among women with at least one post-PrEP initiation follow-up visit (n = 278), no HIV infection was documented during the project period. Overall, continuation of PrEP use at 1, 3, and 6 months post initiation was 41%, 24%, and 15%, respectively. The likelihood for early continuation of PrEP use (i.e., return for at least one PrEP refill within 45 days post initiation) was strongly associated with reported male-partner HIV status (HIV-positive 67%, -negative 39%, unknown 31%; overall effect p = 0.001), and a higher proportion of women ≥24 years old continued PrEP at 1 month compared with young women <24 years old (47% versus 29%; p = 0.002). For women ≥24 years old, the likelihood to continue PrEP use at 1 month post initiation increased by 3% for each additional year of a woman's age (adjusted prevalence ratio [PR]: 1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-1.05; p = 0.01). In contrast, for women <24 years old, the likelihood of continuing PrEP for each additional year of a woman's age was high in magnitude (approximately 6%) but statistically non-significant (adjusted PR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.97-1.16; p = 0.18). Frequently reported reasons for discontinuing PrEP were low perceived risk of HIV (25%), knowledge that partner was HIV negative (24%), experiencing side effects (20%), and pill burden (17%). Study limitations include lack of qualitative work to provide insights into women's decision-making on PrEP uptake and continuation, the small number of measured covariates imposed by the program data, and a nonrandomized design limiting definitive ascertainment of the robustness of a PrEP-dedicated nurse-led implementation strategy. CONCLUSIONS: In this real-world PrEP implementation program in Kenya, integration of universal screening and counseling for PrEP in FP clinics was feasible, making this platform a potential "one-stop" location for FP and PrEP. There was a high drop-off in PrEP continuation, but a subset of women continued PrEP use at least through 1 month, possibly indicating further reflection or decision-making on PrEP use. Greater efforts to support PrEP normalization and persistence for African women are needed to help women navigate their decisions about HIV prevention preferences as their reproductive goals and HIV vulnerability evolve.

Patient actor training improves PrEP delivery for adolescent girls and young women in Kenya: a cluster randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate effectiveness of a standardized patient actor (SP) training intervention to improve quality of PrEP services for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Kenya. DESIGN: Cluster randomized trial and mystery shopper evaluation. METHODS: Twelve of 24 maternal child health and family planning facilities were randomized to SP training. Providers at intervention facilities participated in 2-day training in adolescent health, PrEP guidelines, values clarification, and communication skills, followed by role-playing and de-briefing with trained actors. Control facilities received standard national training. The primary outcome was quality of care, assessed by unannounced SPs (USPs) or "mystery shoppers" blinded to intervention arm. Quality was measured in two domains: guideline adherence and communication skills. Intent to treat analysis compared post-intervention quality scores by randomization arm, clustering on facility, and adjusting for baseline scores and USP. RESULTS: Overall, 232 providers consented to USP visits, and 94 providers completed the training. Following training, USPs posed as AGYW seeking PrEP in 142 encounters (5-6 encounters per site). The mean quality score was 73.6% at intervention sites and 58.4% at control sites [adjusted mean difference=15.3, 95% Confidence interval (CI): 9.4-21.1, p < 0.001]. Mean guideline adherence scores were 57.2% at intervention sites and 36.2% at control sites (adjusted mean difference=21.0, 95% CI: 12.5-29.4, p < 0.001). Mean communication scores were 90.0% at intervention sites and 80.5% at control sites (adjusted mean difference=9.5, 95% CI: 5.5-13.6, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: SP training significantly improved quality of PrEP care for AGYW in Kenya. Incorporating SP training and unannounced SP evaluation could improve PrEP uptake among AGYW.

Descriptive study: Feasibility of integrating hypertension screening into HIV assisted partner notification services model in Kenya.

Prevalence of hypertension (HTN) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are high among men while screening rates are low. Assisted partner notification service is a strategy recommended by the World Health Organization that aims to increase HIV testing and treatment uptake and may present an opportunity to offer integrated HIV/HTN screening and treatment services. In this prospective cohort study, we assessed the feasibility of integrating HTN screening for male sexual partners of females newly tested HIV-positive in 10 health facilities in Kenya. Participants were notified of the exposure and offered HIV testing and HTN screening; if they accepted and tested positive for either HTN, HIV, or both, they were referred for care. HTN was defined as systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90, or the use of antihypertensive medication. Among 1313 male partners traced, 99% accepted HIV testing and HTN screening. Overall, 4% were found to have HTN, 29% were in the pre-HTN stage, and 9% were HIV-positive. Only 75% had previously been screened for HTN compared to 95% who had previously tested for HIV. A majority preferred non-facility-based screening. The participants who refused HTN screening noted time constraints as a significant hindrance. HIV and HTN screening uptake was high in this hard-to-reach population of men aged 25 to 50. Although HTN rates were low, an integrated approach provided an opportunity to detect those with pre-HTN and intervene early. Strategic integration of HTN services within assisted partners services may promote and normalize testing by offering inclusive and accessible services to men.

Brief Report: "What Is This PrEP?"-Sources and Accuracy of HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Awareness Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women Attending Family Planning and Maternal Child Health Clinics in Western Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) delivery to adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) is scaling up in sub-Saharan African countries. Understanding how AGYW learn about PrEP is needed to inform programs seeking to reach AGYW with HIV prevention tools. METHODS: AGYW (ages 15-24), attending routine family planning and maternal child health clinics in Kisumu, Kenya, participated in in-depth interviews. AGYW were recruited if they either declined or accepted PrEP when offered that day in clinic or were currently or previously on PrEP. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes related to the type and quality of knowledge sources from which AGYW first became aware of PrEP. RESULTS: Overall, 140 in-depth interviews were conducted with AGYW. The median age was 21.5 years (interquartile range: 20.0-23.0), 65% of participants were married, and almost half (45.7%) were currently taking PrEP. Participants reported learning about PrEP from 3 primary sources: (1) clinic-based education; (2) friends, family, or other PrEP users; and (3) media and community outreach. Participants who reported learning about PrEP from friends or family were highly enthusiastic about PrEP. The accuracy and completeness of knowledge varied with most inaccuracies around the cost, dosing, and who benefits from PrEP. Community outreach campaigns provided fewer details, resulting in more inaccurate information and distrust of information received. CONCLUSION: PrEP information reaches AGYW through many sources with variable accuracy and completeness. Training providers and peer leaders to disseminate thorough and accurate PrEP information when counseling AGYW could positively impact acceptance and proper use.