Implementation and ethical dimensions of scaling up HIV ‘Treatment as Prevention’: Examining the experiences of people who inject drugs

In 2010, BC launched the Seek and Treat for Optimal Prevention of HIV/AIDS (STOP HIV) program, which implements antiretroviral Treatment as Prevention (TasP) through enhanced HIV testing and universal treatment for HIV-positive individuals. The success of TasP at the population level will be challenging. The needs for enhanced case-finding efforts, early treatment following HIV diagnoses, and consistent adherence to treatment regimes are among the top concerns, particularly with regard to a key target population for TasP: people who inject drugs (PWID).

This project will examine key implementation challenges and opportunities regarding PWID’s experiences with the testing, treatment and prevention imperatives of TasP policy and program delivery practices. The objectives are to:

1. Collect and analyze interview accounts from PWID regarding their experiences with TasP
2. Collect and analyze interview accounts of decision makers in order to characterize how various ethical and implementation considerations related to PWID are taken up or rejected
3. Use the new information gathered to develop recommendations for tailoring TasP policies and program delivery practices to advance the effective and ethical scale-up of TasP among PWID