HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Education for Clinicians Caring for Spanish-Speaking Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM)

• Main Authors: Luis Alzate-Duque, John P. Sánchez, Sebastian R. Mendez Marti, Dwindally Rosado-Rivera, Nelson F. Sánchez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Association of American Medical Colleges 2021-03-01
• Series: MedEdPORTAL
• Subjects: Medical Spanish; PrEP; Pre-exposure Prophylaxis; MSM; HIV; LGBTQ
• Online Access: http://www.mededportal.org/doi/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11110

Introduction A growing number of Liaison Committee on Medical Education–accredited allopathic medical schools offer formal bilingual (English and Spanish) medical education, and numerous other schools offer medical Spanish through elective workshops as part of their curricula. One significant health disparity in the Hispanic community is the incidence of HIV among Spanish-speaking men who have sex with men (MSM). Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has emerged as an effective strategy to reduce the risk of HIV transmission. Methods We developed an education module to train clinicians to discuss PrEP with Spanish-speaking MSM. Our module is adapted from an English module on PrEP education. It includes a Spanish-language PowerPoint slide deck with information about PrEP as well as a Spanish-language videotaped scripted clinical encounter. Results The module was implemented on three occasions with 18 participants, and learners reported increased comfort in discussing and confidence in prescribing PrEP with Spanish-speaking patients. Discussion This workshop can be incorporated within medical Spanish curriculums offered at health professional schools and community-based organizations dedicated to reducing the HIV burden in the Spanish-speaking Hispanic community.