(1116) College Students’ Perceptions and Barriers to Accessing Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for Prevention of HIV Transmission

Objectives: The objective of this project is to collect and evaluate college student perceptions of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), their previous experiences with PrEP, and what potential barriers may have resulted in failure to access PrEP. Additionally, this project aims to determine student interest in receiving a PrEP service from a clinical pharmacist practitioner (CPP). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 93% of all young adults newly diagnosed with HIV in 2021 were college-aged individuals between 18 to 24 years old. While most college students report being informed about perceived risks of unsafe sexual behaviors, many continue to engage in high-risk behaviors despite the significant rates of new HIV diagnoses. PrEP has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration since 2012, yet only 23% of people who could have benefited from PrEP were prescribed PrEP in 2019. Pharmacists are uniquely trained and positioned to assist patients overcome possible barriers to accessing PrEP. They can decrease generalized barriers to medication access and provide personalized, confidential medication counseling and concise health education in a less stigmatized environment. Pharmacists function in advanced roles, such as CPPs, where they provide medication management and prescribe medications under a physician for specific conditions. The accessibility of pharmacists allows for increased access to PrEP.

Methods: This cross-sectional study will be conducted on the campus of a large state university in North Carolina. A 20-item questionnaire will be developed via the online platform Qualtrics and distributed electronically using ListServs, the university’s mass email service, and by posting flyers with the survey link throughout campus. Participants responses will be included if they are over 18 years of age, are current students enrolled at the university, and provide consent to participate in the study. Students who are under 18 years old, not current students at the university, and those who do not consent to the study will be excluded. The questionnaire items will include demographics, if they were previously aware of PrEP, where they first heard about PrEP, barriers they have encountered in accessing PrEP, if they would consider accessing PrEP or post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) through a clinical pharmacist practitioner, willingness to pay for this service, and if they believed accessing PrEP at the pharmacy could remove any barriers to care. The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. The questionnaire will be pilot tested with a small sample of pharmacists and pharmacy staff. The survey will be open for at least a 2-month timeframe with reminders sent at biweekly intervals. Completion of the survey will be voluntary and confidential. After anonymously submitting the questionnaire, participants will have the option to enter a separate drawing for the possibility of winning one of ten $25 gift cards. Descriptive statistics will be utilized for data analysis.

Results: Institutional Review Board approval is anticipated in November 2023. Data collection will occur between December 2023 and January 2024. Preliminary analysis indicates there are approximately 30,000 individuals eligible to receive the survey. Data will be analyzed in February 2024.

Conclusions: PrEP is an underutilized, life-altering medication that can prevent HIV infections. Survey results will reveal perceptions that college students have surrounding PrEP and attempt to define what barriers to accessing PrEP they face. These results can be used to highlight areas where pharmacists can assist college students in overcoming barriers to care. By knowing what these barriers are, we can begin to improve current services and policies to ensure students no longer face those barriers and contribute to the end of HIV.