PONE-D-23-33363A PrEP Decision Aid for Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: Task-Shifting Implementation to Domestic Violence Service SettingsPLOS ONE

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Reviewers' comments:

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: N/A

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: No

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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5. Review Comments to the Author

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Reviewer #1: This is an interesting study that will have important implications for practice.

The study procedures, including adjustments made at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, are clearly described. The introduction to extant research on decision aids and CFIR constructs is clear and concise.

The manuscript is well-written, and my comments are very minor.

Based on the findings from survivors and service providers, it makes sense for DV counsellors to provide information about PrEP to clients or have this information available in their agencies so that it can be shared or accessed later in the counselling relationship after immediate safety concerns are addressed. Given that many hospitals/ healthcare providers do not screen for IPV and survivors likely attend these services with a more immediate concern, they may not be informed about PrEP unless they have attended for concerns relating to sexual assault or sexual health. DV agencies informing survivors means that they will be empowered to ask their healthcare provider about it.

Can the authors further explain the potential use of a PrEP decision aid within a DV service setting? It is clear from the article that service providers must be informed and trained on what PrEP is, how to access it, etc. so that they can pass this information on to their clients. Would a decision aid be presented by these staff to their clients?

The points in the discussion, such as that professionals may deprioritize linkages to PrEP at the time when clients are experiencing the highest risk for HIV, are clearly articulated. It would be useful if the authors could expand on these points to inform recommendations (e.g., What sort of training do DV staff need and how can they partner with healthcare providers to get this training? Best avenues for presenting information about PrEP?)

Reviewer #2: Introduction is well organized.

Method

• The definition of CFIR construct could stand alone as procedure in methods section. Please elaborate the analytic approach of deductive seasoning. How does Trustworthiness conduct?

• How does the authors integrate the interview and survey information? The two types of data source may have different nature. Interviews can provide in-depth insights and detailed narratives, while survey text responses can offer broader trends and patterns. How does the authors consider Validity and Reliability of the two different data source?

• What does trauma-responsive service include?

Results:

• The participants completed interview seems older than participants completed online surveys, would there be a real difference. How does the authors deal with these potential differences that influences on the study.

• It is better to show the participants information in the table.

• It would be better to organize the results in a table based on CFIR framework.

Discussion

• The authors mentioned “Our interviews with key stakeholders emphasize that PrEP interventions must be tailored to be trauma responsive ”， But there is no corresponding results for this.

• Authors should provide the future direction.

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

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A PrEP Decision Aid for Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: Task-Shifting Implementation to Domestic Violence Service Settings

PONE-D-23-33363R1

Dear Dr. Meyer,

We’re pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it meets all outstanding technical requirements.

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Kind regards,

Joel Msafiri Francis, MD, MS, PhD

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

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