To Expand and Sustain PrEP, Make Better Use of Walk-In Care and Nonmedical Staff at Sexual Health Clinics

Attempts to scale up and maintain preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent new HIV infections have been disappointing. Now, two Seattle studies illustrate the urgency of maintaining high-risk persons on PrEP and describe a novel use of resources to escalate and maintain PrEP. The first study assessed PrEP use among MSM newly diagnosed with HIV infection from 2013 to 2021. Of 1098 enrollees, 722 completed interviews about their use of PrEP. Prior use was reported by 13% of respondents, with the proportion increasing significantly over time (2% in 2013 vs. 27% in 2020–2021). More than half of those who discontinued PrEP had HIV diagnosed within 6 months of stopping (the most common reason for stopping was perceived low risk).

Authors of the s…