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Tennessee Pharmacists’ Opinions on Barriers and Facilitators to Initiate PrEP: A Qualitative Study

Author

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  • Alina Cernasev

    (Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Translational Science, College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Nashville, TN 37211, USA)

  • Crystal Walker

    (College of Nursing, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Nashville, TN 37211, USA)

  • Caylin Kerr

    (Kroger Pharmacy, 9225 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922, USA)

  • Rachel E. Barenie

    (College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Nashville, TN 37211, USA)

  • Drew Armstrong

    (College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Nashville, TN 37211, USA)

  • Jay Golden

    (Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy, Nashville, TN 37203, USA)

Abstract

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is recommended to prevent the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Although an effective treatment, the uptake in the United States remains low. Pharmacists are well-positioned to initiate the conversation with patients about PrEP, but few studies exist exploring their unique roles. The objective of this study was to characterize Tennessee pharmacists’ perceptions about access to PrEP. A qualitative study was used to gather the data that consisted of virtual Focus Groups over four months in 2021 from practicing Tennessee pharmacists. Emails were sent to all Tennessee licensed pharmacists to recruit them to participate in the study. Recruitment continued until Thematic Saturation was obtained. The corpus of data was audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by the research team. Thematic Analysis revealed two themes: (1) Barriers to accessing PrEP; (2) Potential solutions to address barriers identified. These findings highlighted barriers and identified solutions to improve access to PrEP in Tennessee; additional financial assistance programs and marketing programs targeting patients and providers are needed to enhance PrEP access.

Suggested Citation

  • Alina Cernasev & Crystal Walker & Caylin Kerr & Rachel E. Barenie & Drew Armstrong & Jay Golden, 2022. "Tennessee Pharmacists’ Opinions on Barriers and Facilitators to Initiate PrEP: A Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-9, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:14:p:8431-:d:859611
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Weinberger, Morris & Ferguson, Jeffrey A. & Westmoreland, Glenda & Mamlin, Lorrie A. & Segar, Douglas S. & Eckert, George J. & Greene, James Y. & K. Martin, Douglas & Tierney, William M., 1998. "Can raters consistently evaluate the content of focus groups?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 46(7), pages 929-933, April.
    2. Jennie McKenney & Anders Chen & Karen W Hoover & Jane Kelly & David Dowdy & Parastu Sharifi & Patrick S Sullivan & Eli S Rosenberg, 2017. "Optimal costs of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis for men who have sex with men," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(6), pages 1-13, June.
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      Keywords

      PrEP; HIV negative; pharmacist; US;
      All these keywords.

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