HEALTH. As part of the congress of the Order of Nurses of Quebec, held last Tuesday, December 3 in Montreal, a healthcare team from Chaudière-Appalaches won the Grand Prix National Bank Nursing Innovation. The recognition salutes the implementation of a local solution for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV.
Briefly, the project aims to expand access to PrEP, which is a medication intended for people who do not have HIV, but who are at risk of being exposed to it. This treatment prevents the virus from reproducing and settling into immune cells.
“We realized that there was no offer in our region, even though there was a 24% increase in people infected with HIV in the last year. […] Better monitoring helps slow the disease,” commented Andréanne Huot, head of nurse practitioners at the CISSS de Chaudière-Appalaches and project manager.
So, now, there are 13 CLSCs in the region that offer this service. By improving patient care, more than 200 follow-ups are now being carried out with people at risk.
“The award raises the profile of our profession, because it is a service offered by nurse practitioners,” she said, adding that she had submitted the project’s application to the World Nursing Congress. This will be held in Lausanne (Switzerland) from June 2 to 5, 2025. “Any opportunity is good to talk about nursing! »
Note that World AIDS Day took place on December 1st.
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