Preparedness of Primary Health Care Clinic (PHCC) Providers for the Provision of Oral Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to Adolescent Girls and Young Women (Agyw)
Experiences from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19469738 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gethwana Mahlase (0009-0008-8043-6766, Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa), Eliza Govender (0000-0002-0937-9438, University of KwaZulu-Natal), Jivanka Mohan (0000-0001-8446-5099, Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa), Quarraisha Abdool Karim (0000-0002-0985-477X, Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-05 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | AIDS and Behavior (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1090-7165 • E-ISSN: 1573-3254 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10461-026-05173-8 |
| PMID | 42247070 |
| OpenAlex | W7163710244 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 40 |
About two-thirds of all HIV infections in 2024 were in sub-Saharan Africa, where adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) bear a disproportionate burden. Daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) offers an HIV prevention option for AGYW at high risk who are unable to negotiate safer sex with male partners. Primary health care clinics (PHCCs) staffed by nurses are an important access point for health services, including antiretroviral treatment, family planning, and antenatal care. Effective delivery of new and existing services depends on the preparedness and acceptability of interventions among health care workers (HCWs). This study explored the preparedness of rural PHCC HCWs in South Africa to deliver PrEP to AGYW, in anticipation that PrEP would become widely available at PHCCs in 2020. Twelve in-depth interviews were conducted with HCWs from all six PHCCs in a rural sub-district. Knowledge, attitudes, and experiences in delivering PrEP to AGYW were explored to identify key facilitators and barriers to implementation, in anticipation of widescale oral PrEP roll-out in public-sector facilities. Providers recognised AGYW’s elevated HIV risk and viewed PHCCs as suitable PrEP distribution sites, noting opportunities to leverage existing contraceptive service infrastructure. However, several barriers emerged, including limited PrEP knowledge, inexperience in PrEP provision, and concerns about logistics for additional service delivery within existing staff and infrastructure constraints. This study highlights the need for targeted HCW training and simplified PrEP guidelines to support PrEP provision by HCWs in PHCCs to AGYW in this rural sub-district
Health care · Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) · Preparedness · Psychological intervention · Public health · Rural area · Rural health · Service delivery framework · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions · Sex work and related issues
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| Highly cited | No |
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