The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) for people who use drugs, yet uptake remains low. This study explores the acceptability and potential uptake of PrEP among participants in an opioid treatment program (OTP). We conducted 26 in-depth, semistructured interviews with staff and patients at an OTP in Baltimore, Maryland. Overall, participants felt that providing PrEP within the program would be beneficial, but they noted competing priorities among populations engaging in high-risk behaviors and lack of willingness among groups with lower risk behaviors. Participants reported several barriers to PrEP use among people who use drugs and who use medications for opioid use, including cost, competing priorities, stigma, and misconceptions about who should use PrEP. Facilitators to PrEP use were described as health benefits, trusted relationships with providers, and existing resources in the opioid treatment program. Practitioners should consider addressing barriers to access and stigma within an OTP setting for HIV prevention tools.
Keyphrases
- men who have sex with men
- quality improvement
- chronic pain
- mental health
- pain management
- healthcare
- public health
- end stage renal disease
- newly diagnosed
- mental illness
- hiv aids
- hiv infected
- prognostic factors
- social media
- hepatitis c virus
- optical coherence tomography
- general practice
- genetic diversity
- patient reported outcomes
- antiretroviral therapy