EASY-TESTS: Evaluation of the Acceptability of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Among Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) Who Accepted Targeted HIV/STI Testing, Recruited Through a Community-based Outreach Approach, Both Digital and In-person.

HIV infection is a transmissible infection that remains a major public health concern in 2021, with an estimated 38.4 million people living with HIV worldwide and around 2.5 million new infections. Despite therapeutic progress, wide access to screening, in France in particular, HIV infection continues to spread among the populations most exposed to this virus.

In France, 5,000 people discovered their HIV seropositivity in 2021. 44% of them are men who have sex with men (MSM), of whom more than a quarter (27%) were born abroad. 2% of new diagnoses concern transgender people2. Nearly half of people who discover their HIV status live in Paris and Île de France.

The incidence of HIV infection remains high among the key population of men who have sex with men. That of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is increasing with more frequent screening, in particular with the introduction of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). A national assessment in 2022 shows that PrEP remains mainly used by MSM, urban, educated and economically advantaged. The large number of new HIV infections each year among MSM encourages the identification of preventive actions to go to those who do not protect themselves from HIV by PrEP, do not screen themselves for STIs.

Strategies for screening and prevention of STIs and HIV must be massively encouraged and facilitated by various innovative approaches. It is important to reach out to populations who rarely see caregivers for various reasons such as social/administrative vulnerability, psychological vulnerability, non-disclosure of conditions of sexual exposure (sex workers, MSM) . The various studies show that about 40% of MSM do not report their sexual orientation to their general practitioner, and find themselves faced with a presumption of heterosexuality in the primary care system.

The 190 center is the first sexual health center created in France, in 2010. Since then, it has continued to develop expertise in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans (LGBT+) health and, more particularly, geared towards gay health. It is one of the main centers to have implemented PrEP, as part of a range of care combining screening and treatment of STIs, specialized monitoring of HIV infection, management of the mental health of users, support for users of psychoactive products in a sexual context (Chemsex He opened THE ANTENNA in the premises of SPOT with the aim of developing innovative strategies in partnership with community guides.