Experiences of participants in a decentralized antiretroviral therapy program in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic.
AIDS Care
; 34(11): 1413-1419, 2022 11.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35877987
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions could adversely affect long-term HIV care. We evaluated the experiences of people receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) through a decentralized delivery program in South Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. We telephoned a random subsample of participants enrolled in a prospective cohort study in KwaZulu-Natal in April and May 2020 and administered a semi-structured telephone interview to consenting participants. We completed interviews with 303 of 638 contacted participants (47%); 66% were female, with median age 36y. The most common concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic were food running out (121, 40%), fear of becoming infected with COVID-19 (103, 34%), and being unable to work/losing employment or income (102, 34%). Twenty-five (8%) participants had delayed ART pick-up due to the pandemic, while 212 (70%) had new concerns about ART access going forward. Mental health scores were worse during the pandemic compared to baseline (median score 65.0 vs 80.0, p < 0.001). Decentralized ART distribution systems have the potential to support patients outside of health facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, but economic concerns and mental health impacts related to the pandemic must also be recognized and addressed.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Infecções por HIV
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Qualitative_research
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Região como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
AIDS Care
Assunto da revista:
SINDROME DA IMUNODEFICIENCIA ADQUIRIDA (AIDS)
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos