Telemedicine in Post-Exposure Prophylaxis to Biological Material During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact on Care and Outcome Indicators.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The restrictions on face-to-face care for exposure to biological material during the COVID-19 pandemic required alternatives to maintain outpatient assistance. This study evaluated the impact of telemedicine on care and outcome indicators of a reference service for exposure to biological material during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This pre- and post-study compared the effectiveness of telemedicine in the Hospital Correia Picanço in Recife (Pernambuco, Brazil) before (August 2018 to January 2019 [P1]) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (August 2020 to January 2021 [P2]). Individuals above 18 years old exposed to biological material who sought the service during P1 or P2 were included in the study. Results: A total of 4,494 cases were assessed (1,997 in P1 and 2,497 in P2), mostly because of sexual exposure (62.3%). The mean age was 32.2 ± 9.2 years, most individuals were male (64.9%), originated from Recife (56.6%), and the education level was up to 12 years (53.7%). P2 presented 43% more attendances and shorter intervals between the exposure and first attendance (51%), first testing (28%), and discharge (10%) than P1 (p < 0.05), and cases had no difference in discharge rate (p = 0.339). Cases of sexual exposure had the highest dropout rate in both periods. Conclusion: Telemedicine maintained similar outcomes to face-to-face care and improved the indicators, increasing the mean monthly attendance and reducing the time between exposure and follow-up.