EZi-PrEP app

How do you provide good STD care when capacity is under severe pressure? In the Netherlands, more than 20,000 people are infected with HIV. PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a drug used to prevent HIV infections. The healthcare process which provides people with PrEP is quite time-consuming, requiring many physical visits to the HIV clinic. The GGD wanted to find a better way, and that’s why the GGD has commissioned an EZI-PrEP study. The study aims to make PrEP care easier and more accessible by offering and researching an online PrEP service.

An online care path

The purpose of the online PrEP service is to simplify the care process around the PrEP pill. Normally, patients have to come to the HIV clinic for PrEP four times a year: a lot of effort. With EZI-PrEP, the GGD wants patients to have to visit the hospital less often, because part of their care is offered online. The provision of this online care is currently in the research phase. Together with Soa Aids Nederland, the GGD is investigating the effects of online care compared to regular care. The study is expected to be completed by mid-2024.

How it works

Via the online EZI-PrEP service, a random selection of the study participants arrange their PrEP checks online, via the EZI-PrEP app: for example, participants can schedule an online video consultation with healthcare specialists, request STI tests and order PrEP medicine online. Patients fill in an online questionnaire in advance, which gives healthcare providers more of an insight into their specific case. Medical professionals can then schedule appointments via a web application. This way, a patient can see exactly when a video consultation is scheduled or where they can request tests for PrEP check-ups.

Study as evidence

The EZI-PrEP study was set up by a number of GGD organizations and SANL and is financed by the Aidsfonds. Marije Groot Bruinderink, EZI-PrEP project leader at GGD Amsterdam, says, “Because it is a government project, you cannot just start changing the current policy. We have to prove that care around PrEP can be done differently, and that online care is just as safe as care in the outpatient clinic. That’s what we want to demonstrate with this study. We’re also using the EZI-PrEP study to examine whether the number of PrEP checks can be reduced. We are already receiving a lot of positive feedback from participants. They indicate that the online care path works very well and that it saves a lot of time.”