Developing a Patient Navigation Intervention for PrEP Continuum of Care among Young Latino MSM

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PROJECT SUMMARY Men who have sex with men (MSM) are the most at-risk group for contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the U.S., comprising 67% of new HIV diagnoses in 2014. However, the HIV epidemic impacts some groups of MSM disproportionately. Latino MSM comprise 25.1% of new HIV infections among MSM between the ages of 13 and 29 years. The daily medication tenofovir/emtricitabine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in 2012 and has demonstrated strong efficacy in reducing the risk of HIV infection. When taken consistently, PrEP has been shown to reduce new incidence of HIV by 92%. Despite the promise of PrEP to transform HIV prevention, there remain significant barriers to PrEP use among those who would benefit the most, resulting in low rates of uptake. Although Latino MSM have reported the lowest use of PrEP (6.6%), they also reported the greatest willingness to use PrEP compared to White and Black MSM. There have been no known interventions that have been designed to assist Latino MSM with accessing PrEP-related health care or adhering to PrEP. Patient navigation may be an ideal intervention to aid in PrEP uptake among Latino MSM by assisting individuals in overcoming barriers to obtaining and using PrEP. To our knowledge, no known patient navigation programs for PrEP have been developed for Latino MSM. The objectives of this proposed study are to develop, pretest, produce, and pilot test a patient navigation intervention designed to address multiple components of the PrEP cascade among Latino MSM between the age of 18 and 29. During Phase 1, qualitative data will be collected through 30 in-depth interviews to assess needs and assets of young adult Latino MSM regarding engagement and retention in the PrEP cascade. From these findings, health care provider and staff feedback, and through the guidance of a Participatory Planning Group, a patient navigation intervention will be developed and pre-tested through 25 in-depth interviews. During Phase 2, the patient navigation intervention will be pilot-tested with 60 young adult Latino MSM. The patient navigation intervention will be compared to usual care plus written information to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and study methods, as well as the intervention's potential in improving engagement and retention in PrEP-related care. The project will investigate the following specific aims: 1) to assess the needs and assets of young adult Latino MSM regarding engagement and retention in the PrEP cascade; 2) to develop, pretest, and produce a patient navigation intervention designed to facilitate engagement and retention in the PrEP cascade among young adult Latino MSM; and 3) to conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial of the patient navigation intervention by comparing it to usual care to assess feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary impact. The proposed study has significant public health implications and is expected to contribute to efforts to reduce HIV-related disparities and increase adherence to PrEP.