HIV prevention only works when services reach the people who need them — in ways they can access, use consistently, and trust. But how do you design services that actually meet people where they are? Which delivery methods encourage uptake and long-term use? And how can countries ensure services are convenient, integrated, and high-quality at the same time?
This is the focus of the Delivery Approaches stream: making prevention services person-centred, accessible, and effective. It’s about thinking beyond the clinic walls and asking, “What does the user need, and how can we make it easier for them to protect their health?”
Practical Steps in Delivery Approaches
Countries are exploring innovative ways to make HIV prevention more reachable. Offering a mix of prevention tools — from oral HIV prevention tablets to long-acting injectables, condoms, and self-testing kits — allows people to choose what works best for them. Delivery is just as important: services are being taken out of clinics and into communities, mobile units, digital platforms, and integrated health services, meeting people in places that fit their lives.
Designing services around people’s schedules and realities makes them more acceptable and usable. Linking HIV prevention with other health services like sexual and reproductive health or maternal care improves continuity and integration, helping people stay engaged over time. Behind the scenes, strong delivery systems, trained staff, and supportive policies ensure these services are high-quality and sustainable.
Turning Principles into Practice
The South-to-South HIV Prevention Learning Network supports countries in applying these ideas. Through peer exchanges, country workshops, and guidance documents, teams can adapt delivery approaches to their own contexts. Evidence-based tools show how to combine method mix, community-led delivery, and integration with other services to maximise uptake and adherence. i2i, the evidence to action arm of SSLN, has developed practical tools to support countries that provide more responsive, person-centred, and efficient delivery models.
Countries have used resources like the Young Women at High-Risk Implementation Guide and the Evidence in Action Series on engaging men and boys to design programs that are practical, flexible, and effective.
Actionable Steps for Country Teams
Countries looking to strengthen delivery approaches can start with practical steps:
- Review current prevention services to see if they match the schedules, locations, and daily realities of the target users and enable access and choice.
- Ensure a full range of products—including oral PrEP, long-acting injectables, condoms, and self-testing kits—is consistently available so users have a choice in their care.
- Diversify services delivery through mobile units, digital platforms, pharmacies and community-led distribution points to reach people where they live and work.
- Link prevention with sexual and reproductive health (SRH), maternal care, and primary health clinics to improve continuity and reduce stigma.
- Ensure healthcare providers and community workers are trained in person-centered care and that national policies support decentralised delivery models.
- Complete the relevant tab of the Pan-PSAT to identify prevention strengths and gaps in delivery approaches.
Takeaway
HIV prevention works best when services follow people, not the other way around. By focusing on choice, convenience, integration, and strong systems, countries can make prevention easier to access, more acceptable, and more effective — helping people stay protected over time.
