{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T02:07:21Z","timestamp":1791425241012,"version":"4.3.3"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"Springer Science and Business Media LLC","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,1]],"date-time":"2025-07-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1751328000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,1]],"date-time":"2025-07-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1751328000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["link.springer.com"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["BMC Health Serv Res"],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Despite advancements in HIV prevention, barriers and disparities in accessing Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) from specialist services persist. Community pharmacies, with their extensive reach, offer an opportunity to reduce these disparities and help end new HIV infections.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study aims to investigate the accessibility of HIV PrEP through community pharmacies and sexual health clinics (SHCs) across two London Integrated Care Systems (ICS) in the United Kingdom (UK). We also sought to assess the potential for community pharmacies to enhance access to PrEP and to address existing gaps in PrEP provision in the UK to gauge the potential for community pharmacies to facilitate easier access to PrEP.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We mapped the distribution of pharmacies, PrEP clinics, and SHCs across 11 local authority areas in London, covering North West London ICS and three catchment areas from North Central London ICS using publicly available data, including postcode data. Our selection process for sources of evidence was guided by a set of predefined criteria aimed at identifying community pharmacies and SHCs within the targeted ICSs for their relevance to HIV PrEP accessibility. Two reviewers systematically charted data from each included source. Information extracted included the name of the pharmacy or clinic, address, contact details and operating hours.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Our data collection, spanning from April to July 2022, included 692 community pharmacies. The study revealed that 543 (78.5%) of these pharmacies offered sexual health services, with a significant proportion categorised at Tier 2 according to the Umbrella Sexual Health Model, indicating they are well-positioned to offer PrEP services. The mapping showed an uneven distribution of PrEP and sexual health clinics, with community pharmacies widely accessible and offering longer service hours.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The findings highlight the critical role community pharmacies could play in providing PrEP, addressing gaps in accessibility, and reducing HIV transmission risks, thus potentially facilitating easier access to PrEP. This study supports the need for policy adjustments to enable community pharmacies to dispense PrEP, aligning with public health goals for broader access to HIV preventative measures.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1186\/s12913-025-12985-2","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,1]],"date-time":"2025-07-01T10:51:10Z","timestamp":1751367070000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Investigating the potential accessibility to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis via community pharmacies and sexual health clinics: a scoping review of two integrated care systems in London"],"prefix":"10.1186","volume":"25","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6130-5092","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aos","family":"Alaa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-6072-3656","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Datapwa","family":"Mujong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5930-1292","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shivali","family":"Lakhani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5662-7943","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marsha","family":"Alter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8772-4938","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Austen","family":"El-Osta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"12985_CR1","unstructured":"Organization WH. Guidelines: updated recommendations on HIV prevention, infant diagnosis, antiretroviral initiation and monitoring. 2021."},{"key":"12985_CR2","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Guidelines on long-acting injectable cabotegravir for HIV prevention. 2022."},{"issue":"1","key":"12985_CR3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"53","DOI":"10.1136\/sextrans-2020-054732","volume":"98","author":"C Grimshaw","year":"2022","unstructured":"Grimshaw C, Estcourt CS, Nandwani R, Yeung A, Henderson D, Saunders JM. Implementation of a national HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis service is associated with changes in characteristics of people with newly diagnosed HIV: a retrospective cohort study. Sex Transm Infect. 2022;98(1):53\u20137.","journal-title":"Sex Transm Infect"},{"key":"12985_CR4","unstructured":"NHS. Clinical commissioning policy reimbursement for the use of generic drugs for Pre Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for the prevention of HIV. 2020."},{"key":"12985_CR5","unstructured":"UNIAIDS. Full report \u2014 in danger: UNAIDS global AIDS update 2022. 2022."},{"key":"12985_CR6","unstructured":"GOV.UK. Annual epidemiological spotlight on HIV in London: 2021 data. 2023."},{"key":"12985_CR7","unstructured":"DHSC. Annex B: local authorities with high or very high HIV prevalence (2019). 2022."},{"key":"12985_CR8","unstructured":"UK Health Security Agency. HIV testing, new HIV diagnoses, outcomes and quality of care for people accessing HIV services: 2021 report. 2021."},{"key":"12985_CR9","unstructured":"Gallagher J. Prep: HIV \u2018game-changer\u2019 to reach NHS in England from September 2017. 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Guidance on Pre-Exposure Oral Prophylaxis (PrEP) for serodiscordant couples, men and transgender women who have sex with men at high risk of HIV: recommendations for use in the context of demonstration projects. Geneva: World Health Organization Copyright \u00a9 2012, World Health Organization; 2012."},{"key":"12985_CR16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"297","DOI":"10.2147\/PPA.S30244","volume":"6","author":"P Saberi","year":"2012","unstructured":"Saberi P, Dong BJ, Johnson MO, Greenblatt RM, Cocohoba JM. The impact of HIV clinical pharmacists on HIV treatment outcomes: a systematic review. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2012;6:297\u2013322.","journal-title":"Patient Prefer Adherence"},{"issue":"10","key":"12985_CR17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"923","DOI":"10.1097\/MLR.0b013e3181e57962","volume":"48","author":"MA Chisholm-Burns","year":"2010","unstructured":"Chisholm-Burns MA, Kim Lee J, Spivey CA, Slack M, Herrier RN, Hall-Lipsy E, et al. 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