WA PrEP Implementation Trial Service Provider Evaluation 

Year

2017 - 2019.

Project status 

Completed.

Ethics approval

Approved by Curtin University HREC: HRE2017-0777.

Investigators

Dr Roanna Lobo (Curtin University), Ms Kahlia McCausland (Curtin University), Ms Myra Robinson (Curtin University).

Brief overview

The aim of the proposed evaluation is to investigate the experiences of WA service providers involved in the WA PrEP Implementation Trial at the four trial sites: Royal Perth Hospital Sexual Health Clinic, South Terrace Sexual Health Clinic (Fremantle), GP on Beaufort, and M Clinic. Service providers will include doctors, prescribers, peer workers and nurses.

The objectives of the evaluation are:

• To investigate the short term impacts of the PrEP Implementation Trial for service providers including changes in workload, establishing trial data collection processes, any knowledge and skills requirements to engage participants, and reorientation of clinic services.
• To determine requirements for offering PrEP to regional or remote trial participants, including the use of telehealth service to liaise and provide support to patients.
• To identify unanticipated implementation challenges and inform appropriate responses.
• To determine whether attitudes and expectations of service providers related to delivering PrEP have been met or have changed.
• To contribute new insights related to providing PrEP and how this fits into existing clinic services.
• To understand the long term implications of PrEP service provision including any similarities and differences between trial sites.

Funding

WA Department of Health Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Program.

SiREN’s role

SiREN are undertaking the independent evaluation of the WA PrEP Implementation Trial for service providers.

Project outputs and impacts

It is expected that the evaluation of the PrEP Implementation Trial will provide important information on a number of factors through mixed method data collection using a variety of strategies including interviews, surveys, workshops and focus groups. Data collected will include an exploration of the attitudes and expectations of the service providers of the drugs used in the trial at the start of the trial and how these changed after a year of the trial running. The positive and negative impacts of implementing the trial for service providers and assessing the successful of the training for those providers, along with implementation solutions and challenges, and new insights into PrEP as part of a clinical setting. Finally, information will be collected regarding the strategies that other services providers could use in the future, including those in regional and remote areas in order to facilitate the uptake of PrEP in those areas.

Coci, M., McCausland, K., Lobo, R. 2022. A qualitative investigation of Western Australian service providers' experiences prescribing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) (presentation). SiREN Symposium, 24 June 2022.