Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

5-2026

Abstract

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) offers the promise of dramatically reducing the risk of HIV transmission. Institutions in public health believe that PrEP is key to ending the HIV epidemic and improving access is central to this program. Prior literature has suggested that discomfort discussing sexual behaviors and STIs inhibit prescribing PrEP in primary care settings. Given the anticipated need for competent prescription of PrEP in primary care settings as a future routine part of clinical practice, a large (10/10/10) midwestern family medicine residency program designed and implemented a sexual health and PrEP OSCE in consultation with experts from the state (Michigan) Bureau of HIV and STI programs and residency program and nursing leadership. Relying on community experience informed by available research, a clinically-relevant patient scenario was constructed, and multiple measures selected to assess resident performance. The residents will then be asked about their comfort level with PrEP and sexual history taking both before and after the educational experience. Research Question: Does implementing a PrEP and sexual health history taking training in a family medicine residency increase resident comfort with taking a comprehensive sexual history and discussing the possible prescribing of PrEP with patients? Expected Findings: It is expected that residents will show a positive change on a brief, 7-item questionnaire measuring their self-reported (each item is a 6-point Likert-style scale) comfort with the various aspects of taking a comprehensive sexual history and discussing the possibility of PrEP with their patients. Potential Impact: The present study will help educators in graduate medical education better understand how OSCEs specific to comprehensive sexual history taking and discussing the possibility and appropriateness of PrEP for patients might add value to resident training or otherwise affect resident comfort with PrEP. This information will help inform residency programs as well as other institutions tasked with training physicians in sexual health about the value of such training and help inform future training endeavors.

Conclusion: The results of the present study will be used to improve family medicine resident training in discussing and providing PrEP within a primary care setting.

Comments

Society of Teachers of Family Medicine STFM 2026 Annual Spring Conference, May 2-6, 2026, New Orleans, LA

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