Dispensing antiretrovirals during Covid-19 lockdown: re-discovering community-based ART delivery models in Uganda.
BMC Health Serv Res
; 21(1): 692, 2021 Jul 13.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34256756
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The notion of health-system resilience has received little empirical attention in the current literature on the Covid-19 response. We set out to explore health-system resilience at the sub-national level in Uganda with regard to strategies for dispensing antiretrovirals during Covid-19 lockdown.METHODS:
We conducted a qualitative case-study of eight districts purposively selected from Eastern and Western Uganda. Between June and September 2020, we conducted qualitative interviews with district health team leaders (n = 9), ART clinic managers (n = 36), representatives of PEPFAR implementing organizations (n = 6).In addition, six focus group discussions were held with recipients of HIV care (48 participants). Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic approach.RESULTS:
Five broad strategies for distributing antiretrovirals during 'lockdown' emerged in ouranalysis:
accelerating home-based delivery of antiretrovirals,; extending multi-month dispensing from three to six months for stable patients; leveraging the Community Drug Distribution Points (CDDPs) model for ART refill pick-ups at outreach sites in the community; increasing reliance on health information systems, including geospatial technologies, to support ART refill distribution in unmapped rural settings. District health teams reported leveraging Covid-19 outbreak response funding to deliver ART refills to homesteads in rural communities.CONCLUSION:
While Covid-19 'lockdown' restrictions undoubtedly impeded access to facility-based HIV services, they revived interest by providers and demand by patients for community-based ART delivery models in case-study districts in Uganda.
Texto completo:
1
Bases de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Infecções por HIV
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudo:
Qualitative_research
Limite:
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
BMC Health Serv Res
Assunto da revista:
PESQUISA EM SERVICOS DE SAUDE
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Uganda