"To do so in a patient-centred way is not particularly lucrative": The effects of neoliberal health care on PrEP implementation and delivery

Abstract

Background: HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective biomedical intervention used by HIV-negative people to prevent HIV acquisition. Despite increased use of PrEP worldwide, several barriers to PrEP implementation have resulted in insufficient uptake, inadequate adherence, and frequent discontinuation. Our objective was to interrogate the social, political, and economic conditions shaping PrEP implementation and delivery among gay, bisexual, queer and other men who have sex with men (GBQM) in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: Six focus groups and three interviews with 20 stakeholders in Ontario (e.g., healthcare professionals, clinicians, community-based organization staff, and government staff) were conducted between July and October 2021. Participants were asked about the personal, workplace, and structural factors shaping PrEP delivery strategies for GBQM. Transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis informed by the political economy of PrEP and employed a critique of neoliberalism.

Results: Participants critiqued the problematic arrangements of the current healthcare system in Canada. Neoliberal governmentality and policies have resulted in inequitable PrEP care by establishing funding structures prioritizing profit and requiring patients and providers to function as individual entrepreneurs. Consequently, healthcare disparities are compounded for marginalized peoples who lack the resources and capacity to navigate existing healthcare systems. Participants identified several pathways to improve the implementation of PrEP, including greater institutional and governmental supports for PrEP and healthcare, leveraging communities and collaboration, and moving beyond risk-based health frameworks.

Conclusion: Socio-political-economic changes reflecting post-neoliberal principles are needed to overcome existing barriers to PrEP care, and sexual and reproductive healthcare more broadly.

Keywords: Critical theory; Gay, bisexual, and queer men; HIV prevention; Implementation and delivery; Neoliberal healthcare; Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP); Qualitative.