Table 6.

Findings from 132 in-depth qualitative interviews on healthcare workers’ and clients’ views on improving PrEP uptake

Improvement	Rationale	Example quotation
Engage traditional community leaders	As local opinion leaders, traditional community leaders’ approval is essential. Traditional community leaders could convince men to allow their partners to use PrEP.	“Have you spoken to the community leaders? You won’t move anything here unless they say that it is okay, that this should be in their community. ” (Stakeholder, Male, Control phase)
Reach men in communities	Educating men on PrEP may not only improve PrEP uptake among men but also increase their acceptance of their partners’ PrEP use.	“They don’t come back because it’s forbidden. When they reach their homes and tell their partners, it will be forbidden. These women cannot make this choice. Men make the choices for them. ” (Healthcare worker, Female, Intervention phase)
Distribute PPP in communities	The information would reach more people. People will have time to deliberate on their decision prior to arrival at the clinic.	“This should not be the first place people see these materials. They need to be in the community. It’s too much to take in, especially if you have come for some other kind of treatment”. (Healthcare worker, Female, Control phase)
Establish PrEP ‘champions’	PrEP information should be conveyed at community events by village chiefs, current PrEP users, people living with HIV, community police, and community health workers.	“You need to start by doing outreach activities, going straight into the communities, teach about PrEP. ” (Decline client, Female, Intervention phase)

PrEP=HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis; PPP=PrEP promotion package