Using clinic records to find people who could benefit from PrEP
Predictive Analytics and Clinical Decision Support to Improve PrEP Prescribing in Community Health Centers (PrEDICT)
A tool that uses clinic records to help community health center teams find and talk with people who could benefit from HIV prevention medicine (PrEP).
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Canton, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11144563 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project uses electronic health record data and machine-learning to flag patients who may be at higher risk of getting HIV and then gives your clinic team prompts and resources to start respectful PrEP conversations. The decision-support tool appears inside the clinic's EHR and includes talking scripts, prescribing guidance, and follow-up supports to help providers offer PrEP. The tool will be tested across community health centers using a cluster-randomized approach so clinics with and without the tool can be compared. The research team engaged patients and clinicians to design the tool so conversations about sexual health are handled sensitively.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People without HIV who are at increased risk for HIV (based on behavior, partners, or clinical indicators) and who receive care at a participating community health center.
Not a fit: People already living with HIV or those who do not receive care at participating clinics would not be eligible or likely to benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help more eligible patients learn about and start PrEP, reducing their risk of HIV infection.
How similar studies have performed: Previous work by the team used EHR data to predict new HIV diagnoses with good accuracy (AUC 0.84), and decision-support approaches have shown promise though they still need real-world testing in safety-net clinics.
Where this research is happening
Canton, UNITED STATES
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, INC. — Canton, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Marcus, Julia L. — Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, INC.
- Study coordinator: Marcus, Julia L.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.