The message that having an Undetectable HIV viral load equals Untransmissible (U=U) is important to reduce HIV stigma. It is unclear whether general practitioners (GPs) discuss U=U with their clients and what are the factors associated with this. We conducted an online anonymous survey among 407 GPs across Australia in 2022. We found that one in four GPs were neutral or disagreed with U=U, and U=U agreement was associated with greater odds of discussing U=U. Increasing health professionals’ confidence in U=U could help more clients become aware of and comfortable with U=U.
About the study
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a safe and effective medication for preventing HIV acquisition, and has been on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) since April 2018. However, numbers of prescriptions of PrEP could be improved. This is particularly for overseas-born gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) who have not seen a similar reduction in HIV infections compared to Australian-born MSM. Therefore we would like to know some of the barriers GPs face when prescribing PrEP.
Publications
Agreement of and discussion with clients about Undetectable equals Untransmissible among general practitioners in Australia: a cross-sectional survey
Wu J, Fairley CK, Grace D, Chow EPF, Ong JJ.
(2023), Sexual Health,
DOI: 10.1071/SH23051