Bezerra, Fabiana LimaCosta, Mariana de França2024-08-152024-08-152024-08-05COSTA, Mariana de França. Perfil epidemiológico dos usuários de profilaxia pós-exposição (PEP) no estado do Rio Grande do Norte entre os anos de 2018 e 2023. 2024. 61 f. Monografia (Graduação em Biomedicina) – Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, 2024.https://repositorio.ufrn.br/handle/123456789/59273Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) is part of the biomedical strategies within combination HIV prevention, involving the use of antiretrovirals to reduce the risk of infection when there is potential contact with the virus. Over the years, the PEP protocol has been expanded to various populations, and its antiretroviral regimen has been simplified with the update of the Clinical Protocol and Therapeutic Guidelines (PCDT-PEP), leading to an increase in medication dispensing. This study aims to characterize the profile of PEP users and assess the reach of the prophylaxis in the state of Rio Grande do Norte between 2018 and 2023. It was conducted as a retrospective descriptive study using the "Painel PEP" from Brazilian's Ministry of Health and its database, where the annual data on PEP dispensing are publicly available, serving as the source for data collection, filtering, and analysis at the national level. As a result, gaps in the database records that cannot be directly observed in the "Painel PEP" were identified, which may lead to misinterpretations regarding medication dispensing. It was observed that there was a change in the profile of PEP users in Rio Grande do Norte, with the period from 2018 to 2020 being composed of cisgender women, aged 25 to 39, after having consensual sexual exposure. Starting in 2021, the profile began to be composed of white and/or Asian individuals, gay men, and men who have sex with men, aged 25 to 39, after having consensual sexual exposure. Despite this change in profile, the lowest demand rates are still among key and priority populations. The data showed higher search/access rates in the state's major cities and a significant absence in rural areas. It was thus found that it is important to disseminate information and expand society's knowledge about PEP, in addition to the need to standardize medication dispensing records so that the data can be better utilized in directing strategies. This would help spread information about the use of PEP among the most vulnerable populations, thereby maximizing access to this strategy in society and making it an effective tool in HIV prevention.Attribution 3.0 Brazilhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/br/HIVPrevençãoProfilaxia pós-exposiçãoPainel PEPBanco de dadosHIVPreventionPost-exposure prophylaxisPainel PEPDatabasebachelorThesisCNPQ::CIENCIAS DA SAUDE::SAUDE COLETIVA::EPIDEMIOLOGIACNPQ::CIENCIAS BIOLOGICAS::MICROBIOLOGIA::MICROBIOLOGIA MEDICA