The article, titled “Barriers and Facilitators to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Uptake Among High-Risk Women and Men Who Have Sex with Men in Georgia: A Pre-Implementation Mixed-Methods Study Using Nominal Group Technique and the COM-B Model,” presents findings from a pre-implementation study exploring the factors that influence the uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in Georgia. Guided by the COM-B behavioural framework and employing a mixed-methods approach, the study identified key individual, social, and structural barriers and facilitators to PrEP uptake. The findings provide practical, evidence-informed recommendations to support the implementation, accessibility, and acceptability of PrEP services in Georgia.
The publication is led by Tamar Mgebrishvili, a GIFT Scholar and PhD student at Ilia State University, in collaboration with colleagues from Ilia State University and Yale University. The study reflects the GIFT Program’s commitment to strengthening implementation science capacity in Georgia and supporting early-career researchers in producing high-quality, internationally recognised research that informs public health policy and practice. This research was supported by the Fogarty International Center through a supplemental award to the GIFT project.
The article is available on the official PLOS Global Public Health website: https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0006301
- Journal: PLOS Global Public Health
- Published: June 1, 2026
- Lead author: Tamar Mgebrishvili (GIFT Scholar)
- DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0006301