Screening to Engage in Prevention (STEP)

STEP is a pilot study designed to improve access to HIV and STI prevention by integrating low‑barrier screening with streamlined linkage to care. The study evaluates patient‑centered approaches to HIV and STI testing, including both self‑collected and clinic‑based options, and examines how testing can better connect individuals to prevention services such as PrEP and doxycycline post‑exposure prophylaxis (doxyPEP).

By identifying barriers to testing and follow‑through, STEP aims to strengthen engagement across the prevention continuum and inform scalable strategies to expand equitable access to sexual health services.

Our project aims to

• Evaluate uptake and completion of HIV/STI testing across self‑collected and clinician‑collected screening approaches.

• Identify barriers and facilitators to testing and linkage to prevention, including PrEP and doxyPEP.