As part of its Congress, held on December 3, the Order of Nurses of Quebec awarded the 2024 National Bank Nursing Innovation Grand Prize to a healthcare team from Chaudière-Appalaches whose project allows the implementation of a local solution for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV.
« We developed this project because there was no service in the region. People had to either find medication via the internet or go to Quebec or other cities. Since it can sometimes be difficult to access, the risk is greater », explained Andréanne Huot, nurse and manager and instigator of the project, to EnBeauce.com.
This is a service offering aimed at people at risk of contracting HIV. Indeed, PrEP 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.
You should know that since 2016, PrEP has played a key role in prevention, but access to it was often limited. Today, 13 CLSCs in the region offer this essential service, allowing simplified monitoring and better patient care. Result? More than 130 active follow-ups were carried out in the first year.
The people concerned can therefore contact their CLSC to obtain an assessment as well as services and prescriptions. The establishment and the specialized nurse practitioners will follow up with them and will be responsible for renewing the prescriptions annually. It is not necessary to have a family doctor.
As we have just marked World AIDS Day on December 1, this regional initiative stands out as an innovative response to the increase in HIV cases observed in Quebec and Canada.
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