Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a critical public health strategy in mitigating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission. Despite its efficacy, the implementation of PrEP in Southeast Asia faces challenges due to gaps in implementation, awareness and acceptance among at-risk populations. This systematic review aimed to identify the barriers and facilitators influencing PrEP acceptability and uptake in this region. A comprehensive search across PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases from 2010 to October 2023 yielded 200 potential articles, of which 16 met the inclusion criteria. Key themes identified within the barriers and facilitators toward PrEP acceptability and uptake included sociodemographic, psychosocial and health system factors; highlighting key factors such as awareness and knowledge of PrEP, perceived HIV risk, social stigma and accessibility to healthcare services. Notably, misconception and worry about side-effects of PrEP emerged as significant barriers, whilst knowledge and awareness of PrEP emerged as critical facilitators. This review highlights the complexity of PrEP implementation in Southeast Asia, suggesting that customised, multifaceted interventions are essential to improve PrEP acceptance and coverage which could give valuable insights to policymakers, healthcare providers, and community-based organisations on effective strategies to increase PrEP uptake among key populations, aligning with the continuous effort to prevent HIV transmission.
A Tue, study studied this question.