Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Adherence Among HIV Sero-Discordant Couples

Abstract

HIV sero-discordance is a condition in which one partner is HIV-positive while the other is HIV-negative. The seronegative partner is at great risk of infection. The majority of discordant couples are of reproductive age; hence, safe conception interventions is key. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an HIV prevention strategy that is used to prevent infection of the seronegative partners. This strategy involves antiretroviral drugs that are used before a person gets exposed to the risk of infection with HIV. For complete protection against HIV transmission among the sero-discordant couples, daily adherence to oral intake of PrEP is required. However, adherence to the daily intake of Pre-exposure prophylaxis has been noted to be irregular among the sero-discordant couples hence, endangering the safety of the seronegative partner. The specific objectives were to assess the current adherence status to PrEP. Two coefficients of healthcare provider related barriers; provider’s willingness PrEP (β = -0.098, t = -0.391, Sig. = 0.697), and whether education of clients (β = -0.120, t = -0.467, Sig. = 0.642) were not statistically significant, hence healthcare provider related barriers did not affect the adherence to PrEP.