Pharmacist-Led Interventions in HIV Prevention and Care
Summary
Pharmacists are increasingly recognised as pivotal contributors to the prevention, detection and management of HIV. By delivering pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), conducting point-of-care testing and offering adherence support for antiretroviral therapy (ART), they extend the reach of traditional clinical services. In many settings, collaboration between pharmacists and physicians through formal agreements ensures timely initiation of prophylaxis and rapid linkage to care following reactive tests. Pharmacist-led counselling has been shown to boost medication adherence and immunological outcomes, while community-based testing initiatives in pharmacies improve early diagnosis among underserved populations. Regulatory innovations have granted pharmacists authority to furnish PrEP and PEP directly, although uptake varies according to jurisdictional frameworks, laboratory access and remuneration models. Across high-, middle- and low-income regions, these interventions address gaps in accessibility, reduce stigma by offering discrete services and leverage pharmacists’ expertise in medication management. Collectively, this body of work underlines the global importance of integrating pharmacists into multidisciplinary HIV prevention and care pathways, highlights the practical challenges of implementation and demonstrates measurable benefits in patient engagement and clinical outcomes.
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Pharmacist-Led Interventions in HIV Prevention and Care publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in pharmacist-led interventions in hiv prevention and care across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP): Medication taken by HIV-negative individuals to prevent infection before potential exposure.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP): Short-term antiretroviral regimen initiated soon after a potential HIV exposure to avert infection.
Antiretroviral therapy (ART): Combination drug treatment administered to people living with HIV to suppress viral replication and preserve immune function.
Collaborative practice agreement (CPA): Formal arrangement authorising pharmacists to initiate, modify or furnish medications under defined protocols with a physician’s support.
Point-of-care testing (POCT): Rapid diagnostic testing performed at the site of patient care, enabling immediate results and linkage to services.
References
- Getting HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) into Private Pharmacies: Global Delivery Models and Research Directions. Current HIV/AIDS Reports (2024).
- An observational survey assessing the extent of PrEP and PEP furnishing in San Francisco Bay Area pharmacies. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association (2021).
- Expanding access to HIV testing through Canadian community pharmacies: findings from the APPROACH study. BMC Public Health (2020).
- Pharmacist-led counselling intervention to improve antiretroviral drug adherence in Pakistan: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Infectious Diseases (2020).
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