Patient and stakeholder perspectives on impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on HIV and mental health care delivery in South Africa.
Int J STD AIDS
; 34(8): 525-531, 2023 07.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36943694
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The COVID-19 pandemic had a global impact on health systems and the delivery of health services, including for chronic conditions such as HIV. In South Africa, impacts on HIV services have widely been quantitatively described. Across different health settings, patients have also qualitatively described numerous negative impacts to their HIV care. However, patient perspectives on COVID-19 impacts to HIV care in South Africa, the largest HIV care system in the world, have been little explored to date.METHODS:
We conducted 29 semi-structured individual interviews with people living with HIV (n = 24) and providers (n = 5) in Cape Town, South Africa.RESULTS:
While most patient participants reported continued access to HIV treatment during the pandemic, many described perceiving that the quality of their care declined. Increased structural barriers were described as one contributing factor to this change. Additionally, patients described that reduced privacy in clinical interactions was a key factor negatively influencing their experience of receiving care.CONCLUSION:
Findings underscore the importance of ensuring patient privacy for HIV services even during the rearrangement of services in emergencies. It is also important to continue developing models to integrate community mental health services within HIV care delivery in South Africa.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Infecções por HIV
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
Limite:
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2023
Tipo de documento:
Article