Adherence to HIV post-exposure prophylaxis for children/adolescents who have been sexually assaulted: A systematic review of barriers, enablers, and interventions.

Abstract

Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is a key intervention for preventing HIV acquisition, including following sexual assault. However, uptake and completion rates for HIV PEP are lowest following sexual assault, with only 40% reporting completing the 28-day course. We undertook a systematic review to assess barriers and enablers to adherence to PEP in children and adolescents following sexual assault and identify potential interventions. Five databases and one conference abstract library were searched using adapted search strategies to identify quantitative and qualitative studies reporting patient-reported barriers and enablers to PEP and randomized trials assessing interventions to improve PEP adherence and completion rates. All searches were conducted up to October 2016; the search was updated in PubMed up to 31 July 2018. 14 studies reported barriers and enablers to PEP adherence. The most commonly cited patient/caregiver reported barriers to PEP adherence/completion included side effects, forgetting, stigma/blame, being busy, poor knowledge, and mental health problems. The most commonly reported factors associated with PEP adherence/completion (reported across 7 studies) included health provider encouragement to take PEP (type of encouragement not described), perpetrator known to be HIV-positive, monetary support for transport, the victim of assault attending counseling, being reminded by family/peers to take PEP, and one-stop services offering both HIV testing and PEP at initial consultation. Three randomized trials provided limited evidence supporting the potential benefit of enhanced adherence support for HIV PEP; however, data for children were lacking. Despite low completion rates, there is limited research into causes of and interventions to improve adherence to PEP following sexual assault, and no direct evidence for children.