After the Fact: A Brief Educational Program on HIV Postexposure Prophylaxis for Female Detainees in a Local Jail.

Abstract

Women who have been in jail are at increased risk of acquiring HIV when they are in the community. Nonoccupational postexposure prophylaxis (nPEP) reduces HIV transmission following high-risk behaviors and is an effective HIV prevention strategy. The authors designed a 15-minute interactive educational program to increase inmates' knowledge of nPEP. Before the program, participants self-reported high HIV risk yet low risk perception and lack of nPEP awareness. After the program, nPEP knowledge scores increased by 40% regardless of demographic or HIV-risk characteristics. This study demonstrates that a brief, easy-to-deliver educational intervention can be carried out in a jail, is effective at raising awareness of both HIV risk and nPEP, and may be useful for others seeking to increase use of this prevention strategy for high-risk women during incarceration.