Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40803730›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2025

Pay-it-forward and social network distribution to increase doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis uptake among men who have sex with men and transgender women in China: study protocol for a three-arm randomised controlled trial.

Peizhen Zhao, Wenqian Xu, Joseph D Tucker, Weiming Tang, Ann Marie Weideman, Kimberly Enders, Peng Liang, Shujie Huang, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Cheng Wang

Abstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Peizhen Zhao *Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9334-3744
Wenqian Xu *Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Joseph D TuckerClinical Research Department, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Weiming TangDepartment of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Ann Marie WeidemanDepartment of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Kimberly EndersDepartment of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Peng LiangDermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Shujie HuangDermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
Thomas FitzpatrickDivision of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA wangcheng090705@gmail.com tsfitz@uw.edu.
Cheng WangDermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China wangcheng090705@gmail.com tsfitz@uw.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8000-9969

Funding

Virology, Immunology, and Microbiology CoreP30AI050410 · NIAID · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI DAVID M. MARGOLIS · 2001 to 2026
$76.9M
VENEREAL DISEASET32AI007140 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI Julia Cook Dombrowski · 1985 to 2026
$19.4M
Pay-it-forward gonorrhea testing among men who have sex with men: The PIONEER pragmatic randomized controlled trialR01AI158826 · NIAID · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI TANG, WEIMING, TUCKER, JOSEPH DAVID · 2021 to 2025
$3.1M
NIAID NIH HHS P30 AI050410NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI158826NIAID NIH HHS T32 AI007140
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionDoxycycline postexposure prophylaxis (doxy-PEP) can prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW). STI rates are high among MSM and TGW in China, and implementation strategies are needed to optimise doxy-PEP services. Pay-it-forward and social network distribution approaches may increase uptake of STI services and could increase the uptake of doxy-PEP. We present the protocol for a randomised controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of pay-it-forward strategies with and without adjunctive social network distribution among MSM and TGW in China. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A total of 399 MSM and TGW will be recruited at seven sites in China and randomly allocated in a 1:1:1 ratio to (1) self-pay, (2) pay-it-forward alone or (3) pay-it-forward with adjunctive social network distribution of doxy-PEP. Participants assigned to the self-pay arm can purchase a doxy-PEP packet out-of-pocket. Participants in the pay-it-forward arm will be offered a free doxy-PEP packet and the opportunity to donate to support doxy-PEP for future participants. Participants in the pay-it-forward arm with social network distribution will receive the pay-it-forward intervention as well as additional free doxy-PEP packets to distribute to peers. Those randomised to the self-pay and the pay-it-forward with social network distribution arms (ie, index participants) will receive and distribute referral cards to recruit additional peers (ie, alter participants). Alter participants recruited through the control arm will be referred to the clinic to purchase doxy-PEP. Alter participants recruited through the pay-it-forward with adjunctive social network distribution arm will receive doxy-PEP directly from referring index participants. Both index and alter participants in each arm will be asked to complete a follow-up survey 3 and 6 months after enrolment. The primary outcome will be the proportion of participants who report using doxy-PEP within 72-hours of condomless anal or oral sex on one or more occasions during follow-up. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval was obtained from the ethics review committee of the Dermatology Hospital of Southern Medical University (Approval number: 2023109). The findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: The study has been registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (trial ID ChiCTR2300074903). Date of registration: 18 August 2023.

Indexed as

Anti-Bacterial AgentsDoxycyclineHomosexuality, MalePost-Exposure ProphylaxisSexually Transmitted DiseasesSocial NetworkingTransgender PersonsAdultChinaFemaleHumansMaleMulticenter Studies as TopicRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicAnti-Bacterial AgentsDoxycyclineChinaPublic healthSexually Transmitted Disease

Identifiers

PMID40803730
PMCPMC12359465

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.