Your Preferences for PrEP

Participant Information Leaflet

Exploring preferences for the delivery of the Irish HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) programme among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men

You’re invited to take part in a research study that focuses on the Irish HIV PrEP programme for gay, bi, and other men who have sex with men.
Before you decide to participate, it’s important that you understand why this research is being done and what it will involve. This Plain Language Statement tells you about the purpose, risks, and benefits of this research study. If there is anything that you are not clear about, we will be happy to explain it to you. Please take as much time as you need to read this information. You should only consent to participate in this research when you feel you understand what is being asked of you, and you have had enough time to think about your decision.

What is this research about?
This study focuses on the way in which gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men would like to access HIV PrEP in Ireland. We want to understand how you would choose between different ways of accessing PrEP, even if you have not ever used the programme. We’re interested in looking at how different ways of providing PrEP might affect if people engage with the Irish PrEP programme, and which parts of the programme are most important to users.

Who are we?
This research is being conducted through the School of Psychology at the University of Galway by David Comer and Dr Chris Noone. The study team also includes Dr Giovanni Villa of St James’ Hospital GUIDE Clinic and Professor Edel Doherty of the University of Galway School of Business and Economics. David, Chris, and Edel are acting as responsible researchers under the authority of the data controller, the University of Galway. The study is part of David’s PhD research, which looks at making PrEP in Ireland more acceptable for queer men. The research is funded through the Irish Health Research Board under grant number SPHeRE/2022/1.

What do we mean by “The Irish National HIV PrEP programme”?
PrEP is a medication that you can take to prevent acquiring HIV from your sexual partners. It usually comes as a pill, which can be taken daily or taken only when you think you are likely to have sex. In Ireland, the HSE run a national PrEP programme where people who need PrEP can get it for free from sexual health clinics. In addition, these clinics provide a range of other supports; this includes access to STI testing and treatment, condoms and lube, and discussion of sexual practices.

Why are we doing this research?
This research aims to inform policy and practice to help make the Irish PrEP programme more acceptable for diverse communities of gay, bi, and other men who have sex with men. It also helps people who make policy and those working in clinics to understand how to allocate resources to the parts of the programme most important for users.

Why are you invited to take part?
For this research we want input from men who are attracted to other men, aged over 18, and access their healthcare in Ireland. This is because the Irish PrEP programme mostly provides services to queer men in Ireland. You’ve been invited to take part because your experience can make a valuable contribution to this research.

What will happen if you decide to take part?
You can choose to participate until data collection for this study ends; we anticipate this will be in June 2026. If you’re interested in taking part, you will be asked to consent to participate after reading this form. You will then be asked to complete an online survey that asks some questions about your demographic information (including your age, gender identity, and race).
After this, you will be shown different options describing how PrEP could be delivered; you just pick the option that you like the most. You’ll then be asked a few questions about your experience of completing the survey and some short questions about your experience of the Irish PrEP programme.

How long will your part in the study last?
If you take part, completing the online survey will take you between 15 and 30 minutes, depending on how long you spend considering each question.

What happens at the end of the study?
After completing the study, you will be given a debriefing sheet with some more information about the research. This sheet will also provide some resources that may be of interest to you. You will not be contacted by the research team after completing the research but are welcome to reach out to the researchers at any point prior to or after the research if you have any questions.

What happens if I change my mind during the study?
You are free to change your mind about taking part in the study at any time. To stop taking part, you can simply stop answering the survey.
You can withdraw your data from this study even after you complete the survey, as long as the analysis for the study has not already been conducted. During the survey, you will have the option to enter a code unique to you alongside your responses. This means that if you contact the research team with your code, we will remove your data.

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