Background: Despite major advances in antiretroviral therapy, HIV transmission remains an important public health challenge. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective prevention strategy, offering a significant opportunity to further reduce new HIV infections through expanded access and optimized implementation. Methods: A national multidisciplinary consensus process was conducted to define principles and operational pathways for PrEP referral and linkage in Romania. Experts from different medical fields, professional societies, academic institutions, and community-based organizations participated in structured discussions. Results: The consensus highlighted relevant knowledge gaps related to HIV prevention and PrEP among specialists working outside the field of infectious diseases, including difficulty recognizing risk factors for HIV, uncertainty about next steps after identifying risk factors, and uneasiness discussing sexual health. The consensus also emphasized a shared commitment of these professional societies to address these gaps through pragmatic, specialty-adapted training. Key priorities included improved HIV risk recognition in routine care, development of communication skills, and clear referral pathways to PrEP services. Existing barriers were also discussed, underscoring the importance of multidisciplinary networks and community engagement. Conclusions: This consensus provides a structured, context-adapted framework to support the upcoming nationwide implementation of PrEP in Romania. By strengthening provider education, clarifying clinical pathways, and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, it offers a foundation for equitable and sustainable HIV prevention.
Background and Objectives: Family physicians are central to HPV vaccination delivery in Romania, yet little is known about how they perceive recent changes in parental attitudes and the barriers encountered in routine practice. We described these perceptions and examined factors associated with reporting a perceived change. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of a non-probability convenience sample of 525 primary-care physicians was conducted in February 2025. Closed responses were summarised descriptively, free-text responses underwent structured thematic content analysis, and robust Poisson regression estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs), with nominal inference. Results: Amongst respondents, 82.9% reported perceiving a change in parental attitudes; 67.4% provided content meeting a conservative favourable-coding definition and 76.8% a broader definition. Safety concerns and fear (51.9%) and distrust or resistance (46.8%) were the most frequent barriers. Digital sources were perceived as the principal origins of myths (95.6%). Urban respondents reported perceived change more often than rural respondents (88.2% versus 69.9%; aPR 1.265, 95% CI 1.133–1.413; p < 0.001), with similar estimates across sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: In this convenience sample, most physicians reported perceiving changes in parental attitudes and many descriptions were coded as favourable. These reports generate hypotheses for studies using direct parental measures and documented vaccination outcomes.