title: Awareness and low uptake of post exposure prophylaxis for HIV among clinical medical students in a high endemicity setting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Adequate knowledge and practices on post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for HIV among health care providers are crucial for HIV prevention. However there is limited data on PEP knowledge and practice from developing countries where the burden of HIV infection continues to increase. We assessed the knowledge of clinical medical students on PEP, their practices in response to occupational exposure to HIV, as well as the determinants of good knowledge on PEP.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted in November 2014 involving 154 consecutively recruited clinical medical students (4(th)-6(th) year undergraduates). Data were acquired using a structured questionnaire. Knowledge on PEP was assessed using a questionnaire comprising 25 questions and categorized as: good (20 or more correct answers), moderate (13-19 correct answers) and poor (12 or fewer correct answers).
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the 154 students included (57.8 % being male), the mean age was 23.2 ± 2.4 years, and 89 % had heard about PEP for HIV. The majority of students had moderate (61.7 %) and poor (32.5 %) knowledge on PEP. Overall knowledge score increased with increasing level of studies (p < 0.05). Only 10 (6.5 %) had had previous training on PEP, most of whom were senior level students (p = 0.01). Fifty-four students (35.1 %) knew the appropriate duration of PEP and this awareness increased with level of studies (p = 0.001). Of the 81 (52.6 %) who reported occupational exposure to HIV in the past, only 4 (4.9 %) received PEP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, knowledge on PEP among clinical medical students in this setting was non-optimal with very low uptake PEP. Intensification of HIV curricula to involve PEP as well as continuous medical education programs and workshops are potential avenues to improve awareness in this vulnerable population.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Education, Networking & Consultancy, Douala, B.P. 3480, Cameroon. amindeln@gmail.com.|Internal Medicine Unit & HIV Treatment Centre, District Hospital Nanga-Eboko, Nanga-Eboko, Cameroon. amindeln@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Leopold Ndemnge
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Aminde
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Education, Networking & Consultancy, Douala, B.P. 3480, Cameroon. takahnoah@yahoo.com.|Global Health Systems Solutions, Limbe, Cameroon. takahnoah@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Noah F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Takah
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Groote Schuur Hospital and University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. noubiapjj@yahoo.fr.|Medical Diagnostic Center, Yaounde, Cameroon. noubiapjj@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Jean Jacques N
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Noubiap
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon. maximetindong@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Maxime
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tindong
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon. angwasiri@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Calypse
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ngwasiri
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon. jingiahmadoumusa@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ahmadou M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Jingi
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Education, Networking & Consultancy, Douala, B.P. 3480, Cameroon. apkengne@yahoo.com.|Non-Communicable Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa. apkengne@yahoo.com.|Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. apkengne@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Andre Pascal
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Kengne
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Education, Networking & Consultancy, Douala, B.P. 3480, Cameroon. aitdzudie@yahoo.com.|Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon. aitdzudie@yahoo.com.|Department of Medicine, General Hospital Douala, Douala, Cameroon. aitdzudie@yahoo.com.|Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. aitdzudie@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Anastase
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dzudie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019353:Endemic Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D056990:Post-Exposure Prophylaxis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult