HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) involves taking antiretroviral medication after potential exposure to HIV to reduce the probability of becoming infected. New York State recommends PEP following certain occupational (e.g., needle sticks by healthcare workers) and non-occupational (e.g., sexual and needle-sharing activities) exposures. Little information exists on the uptake of PEP for HIV in the United States, particularly with regard to nonoccupational exposures. ED data have been used previously to identify occupational PEP visits but have not been used extensively to describe trends in PEP visits overall. We aimed to identify HIV-related PEP visits in NYC EDs to track uptake and inform outreach efforts.
Objective
To describe trends in HIV post-exposure prophylaxis uptake in New York City (NYC) emergency departments (EDs).