P128 The role of ancona checkpoint in counseling and facilitating PrEP access through tele-visits

Background The three pillars for achieving the 95–95-95 UNAIDS targets are providing early ARV treatment to all PLWH, increasing HIV testing to detect undiagnosed infections and implementing knowledge and adoption of preventive measures, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Barriers to widespread PrEP access include geographic isolation, stigma, and lack of knowledge. Providing PrEP through tele-visit (an approach known as ‘tele-PrEP’), could help to overcome these barriers. Through a partnership agreement with Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria delle Marche, since June 2023 the Ancona Checkpoint provides access to ‘tele-PrEP’, consisting in online face-to-face consultation with a clinical immunologist. The present study aims to evaluate the degree of knowledge of PrEP among Ancona Checkpoint users and the effectiveness of tele-visit in facilitating access to PrEP. Material and Methods Questionnaires collected from Ancona checkpoint users from March 2022 to February 2025 were examined using COBATEST database. Gender, age, sexual orientation and PrEP knowledge were considered for the analysis. Results During three years of Ancona Checkpoint activity, 2.151 subjects accessed the service and filled out COBATEST questionnaire. Only 35% of them had heard about PrEP previously; of them 70,6% identified as males, 27,4% as females, 1% as transgender and 1% as other. Median age was 27,7 yrs, 60.8% being in the age group 18–30 yrs, 34.4% in the 31–50 yrs, 4.8% over 50 yrs. Most of them (99.1%) were Italian. Regarding sexual orientation, 42.5% defined themselves as heterosexual, 40.1% as homosexual, 10.8% as bisexual, and 6.6% as other non-binary. The vast majority of subjects (92.3%) had never taken PrEP. 47.4% of them said they were not interested for the following concerns: need to take medication on a daily basis (34.2%), possible side effects (10%), need for frequent medical check-ups (11.9%), need to go to the hospital for drug supply (6.6%). Between June 2023 and February 2025, 49 individuals accessed ‘tele-visit’ through Ancona Checkpoint and 36 of them (73.5%) entered PrEP program: two in 2023 (3.8% of new 2023 PrEP), twenty-nine in 2024 (37.7% of new 2024 PrEP) and five in the first two months of 2025 (50% of new 2025 PrEP). Conclusions Proportion of people who access PrEP through tele-visit is increasing over-time. This result indicates that checkpoint services can be a powerful instrument to facilitate access to PrEP. In addition, the amount of counseling and testing provided by Ancona Checkpoint in the first three years of activity further highlights the potential role of this service in terms of sexual health education and prevention of HIV/AIDS and other STI.