The history of the human struggle against infectious diseases is nothing new. Infectious diseases, especially viruses, have been spreading on a global scale for the last five decades. Infections from the Ebola virus, SARS, NEPA virus, and avian influenza have killed millions of people globally. Decades ago, swine flu became a threat to the poultry trade in East Asia as well as Europe. 1 The prevalence and experience of infectious diseases is not similar in different parts of the world. Due to advances in medical science, it has been possible to take some remedial measures against infectious diseases. The success of vaccinations against small-pox, cholera, bubonic plague, and other diseases does not escape our attention. The COVID-19 virus, however, has appeared among us with a different nature and severity compared to any other virus we have experienced in the past. One of the features of COVID-19 is that it is easily transmissible from one person to another through touch and communication. In this regard, community transmission is a common phenomenon in infectious disease. Considering the various dimensions and effects of COVID-19, the Government of 1
Introduction: Gaps exist in educational materials addressing LGBTQ patient care and LGBTQ health. One such area is prescribing HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for men who have sex with men (MSM). PrEP awareness, familiarity, and comfort in prescribing are very important in the rollout and success of PrEP as a preventative measure. Our needs assessments showed a lack of familiarity and comfort among clinicians/medical students in prescribing PrEP. Furthermore, studies have shown that since its launch as an effective prevention method of HIV transmission, PrEP has not been widely prescribed to at-risk populations. Educating clinicians about PrEP may increase its use among high-risk MSM populations and reduce the incidence of HIV infections. Methods: For medical students, we developed a didactic presentation and video recording discussing (1) a brief history of HIV prevention, (2) indications for PrEP prescription, (3) medical testing for PrEP onboarding, (4) common PrEP side effects, and (5) appropriate follow-up and testing for PrEP maintenance and discontinuation. We also developed a videotaped clinical encounter demonstrating communication skills used in PrEP counseling. Preand postworkshop surveys assessed participants' PrEP attitudes and knowledge. Results: All 43 survey respondents were secondthrough fourth-year medical students. Pre-and postpresentation evaluation of questions assessing comfort demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in level of comfort with understanding when to prescribe PrEP and in level of knowledge in prescribing PrEP. Discussion: Workshop participants acknowledged their training gaps in PrEP prescribing and acquired knowledge and comfort with prescribing PrEP for at-risk populations.
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