HIV and COVID-19 Pandemic Collision: Turning Challenges Into Opportunity

Rusconi, Stefano; Pezzati, Laura; Formenti, Tiziana; Giacomelli, Andrea

doi:10.2217/fvl-2020-0382

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 17 publications

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“…A range of impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the sexual and reproductive health of different populations have been documented, including significant declines in casual sex 1,2 and sex work 3 during lockdowns, and some reported declines in new diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). 4,5 However, STI prevention and care remained a public health concern throughout the different waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, 6 including periods of 'making up for lost time', 7 when restrictions lifted, as did the provision of continuous HIV prevention and treatment services, 8,9 contraception, abortion, and cervical screening. [10][11][12][13] The capacity of sexual and reproductive health services to sustain these forms of care during COVID-19 restrictions differed around the world.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustaining sexual and reproductive health through COVID-19 pandemic restrictions: qualitative interviews with Australian clinicians

et al. 2022

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Background. The sexual and reproductive health care of people with HIV and those at risk of HIV has largely been delivered face-to-face in Australia. These services adapted to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with a commitment to continued care despite major impacts on existing models and processes. Limited attention has been paid to understanding the perspectives of the sexual and reproductive health care workforce in the research on COVID-19 adaptations. Methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between June and September 2021 with 15 key informants representing a diverse range of service settings and professional roles in the Australian sexual and reproductive health sector. Inductive themes were generated through a process of reflexive thematic analysis, informed by our deductive interest in clinical adaptations.Results. The major adaptations were: triage (rapidly adapting service models to protect the most essential forms of care); teamwork (working together to overcome ongoing threats to service quality and staff wellbeing), and the intwined themes of telehealth and trust (remaining connected to marginalised communities through remote care). Despite impacts on care models and client relationships, there were sustained benefits from the scaleup of remote care, and attention to service safety, teamwork and communication. Conclusions. Attending to the experiences of those who worked at the frontline of the COVID-19 response provides essential insights to inform sustained, meaningful system reform over time. The coming years will provide important evidence of longer-term impacts of COVID-19 interruptions on both the users and providers of sexual and reproductive health services.

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