ASO PrEP survey

LETTER OF INFORMATION REGARDING STUDY

STUDY TITLE
Preparing for PrEP: Assessing the readiness of front-line service providers for the implementation of Pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention.

INVESTIGATORS  
Darrell Tan, MD FRCPC 
Heather Senn, MSc  
Malika Sharma, MD FRCPC 
James Wilton, CATIE
Contact: (416) 864-5568, prepsurvey@gmail.com

INTRODUCTION
You are being asked to participate in a nation-wide research study being conducted by a research team from the Hassle Free Clinic, CATIE and St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. Before agreeing to participate in this study, it is important that you read and understand the following explanation of the study. You are free to accept or decline participation in the study without consequence.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
This questionnaire has been designed to find out about HIV support service providers’ knowledge, opinions and learning needs regarding pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for prevention of HIV infection. This project will have important implications for public health and the availability of support services to people at risk of getting HIV infection. You do not need to have any prior knowledge of PrEP to participate in the survey.

STUDY PROCEDURES

• Participation in this study is voluntary. If you agree to participate, you will be asked to fill out this six page online questionnaire.
•  This survey is confidential and we ask you not to include your name, the name of your organization or any other identifying information other than what is asked in the survey.
• This survey takes about 20-30 minutes to complete and asks you questions about your knowledge and experience with PrEP, your opinions on key issues and your learning needs.
• You have the option to not answer any questions which you find confusing, uncomfortable or choose to omit for any reason.
• You also have the option to withdraw your consent by not completing the questionnaire if you so wish for any reason. If you choose to withdraw, clicking on the “discard responses and exit” button will delete all your responses and close the survey.
• Once your responses have been submitted you will not be able to withdraw from the study - since all responses are anonymous and confidential it will be impossible to identify your questionnaire responses.

CONFIDENTIALITY
All responses are confidential, stored in protected files and accessed only by the investigators. Data collected are intended to be used for an academic publication. Some of your written responses may be quoted without including any identifying information.

POTENTIAL RISKS
There are no known risks associated with participation in this study.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS
Benefits to you from participating in this study may include gaining some knowledge of PrEP and issues surrounding its use. AIDS service organizations, their employees and the populations they serve may also benefit from your participation in this study in the future.

INFORMED CONSENT
By clicking the box below, you are agreeing that you have read and understood the informed consent form and agree to participate in the study. If you require further information about this study, you may contact Dr. Darrell Tan, Principal Investigator, at 416-864-5568 during business hours. This study has been approved by the Research Ethics Board of the University of Toronto. If you have any questions regarding your rights as a research participant, you may contact the Office of Research Ethics at ethics.review@utoronto.ca or 416-946-3273.