HIV Management Guidelines

HIV Management Guidelines

Nurses & Midwives

Management > Nurses & Midwives > Time to first dose

Time to first dose

NPEP appears to be most effective when administered as soon as possible after exposure. In macaque monkeys, tenofovir initiated within 24 hours of a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) challenge provided 100% protection from infection vs 50% and 25% when initiated at 48 and 72 hours, respectively.[14]  In seven human cases of seroconversion following NPEP, the median time from exposure to first dose of NPEP medication was 45.5 hours (range 14 – 72.4 hours) and three of the seroconversions to HIV in this series initiated NPEP after 48 hours post exposure although this difference was not statistically significant.[12] Nurses should be aware of the critical nature of time with regard to PEP, educate accordingly, facilitate rapid referral if required and, in emergency departments, allocate a high triage priority to patients who present for PEP.

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