Qualitative Examination of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Access and Adherence to Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Among Sexual and Gender Minorities.

IF 1.6 4区医学 Q2 EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH

Aids Education and Prevention Pub Date : 2023-08-01 DOI:10.1521/aeap.2023.35.4.255

Samantha Yeager, Vanessa B Serrano, Dafna Paltin, Arin Fisher, Maile Karris, Gregory A Aarons, Alvy Rangel, Risa Flynn, Robert Bolan, David J Moore, Jessica L Montoya

{"title":"Qualitative Examination of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Access and Adherence to Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Among Sexual and Gender Minorities.","authors":"Samantha Yeager, Vanessa B Serrano, Dafna Paltin, Arin Fisher, Maile Karris, Gregory A Aarons, Alvy Rangel, Risa Flynn, Robert Bolan, David J Moore, Jessica L Montoya","doi":"10.1521/aeap.2023.35.4.255","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"During the COVID-19 pandemic, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) access and adherence decreased nationwide. This study examined pandemic-related disruptions to PrEP access and adherence among clients of a health center (Center) in Los Angeles, California. Clients (n = 25) and Center personnel (n = 11) completed qualitative interviews from March to July 2021. Although the Center provided options for remote PrEP care (i.e., telehealth, STI self-testing kits, and prescription delivery), clients experienced difficulty navigating services or lacked equipment for telehealth. More than half (n = 13) of clients discontinued PrEP during COVID-19 due to decreased sexual partners, relocation, or insurance status changes. Among those who continued PrEP, the majority reported no change in adherence, while a minority reported worsening adherence due to distractions/forgetting, prescription refill issues, lack of insurance coverage, and fear of completing in-person visits. Findings highlight the challenges of navigating PrEP services during COVID-19 and suggest PrEP services enhancement to adapt to crisis events.","PeriodicalId":47801,"journal":{"name":"Aids Education and Prevention","volume":"35 4","pages":"255-267"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6000,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10849009/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Aids Education and Prevention","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1521/aeap.2023.35.4.255","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) access and adherence decreased nationwide. This study examined pandemic-related disruptions to PrEP access and adherence among clients of a health center (Center) in Los Angeles, California. Clients (n = 25) and Center personnel (n = 11) completed qualitative interviews from March to July 2021. Although the Center provided options for remote PrEP care (i.e., telehealth, STI self-testing kits, and prescription delivery), clients experienced difficulty navigating services or lacked equipment for telehealth. More than half (n = 13) of clients discontinued PrEP during COVID-19 due to decreased sexual partners, relocation, or insurance status changes. Among those who continued PrEP, the majority reported no change in adherence, while a minority reported worsening adherence due to distractions/forgetting, prescription refill issues, lack of insurance coverage, and fear of completing in-person visits. Findings highlight the challenges of navigating PrEP services during COVID-19 and suggest PrEP services enhancement to adapt to crisis events.

查看原文本刊更多论文

COVID-19大流行对性和性别少数群体获得和坚持暴露前预防(PrEP)影响的定性检查

在2019冠状病毒病大流行期间，全国暴露前预防(PrEP)的可及性和依从性下降。本研究调查了加州洛杉矶一家卫生中心(center)客户中与大流行相关的PrEP获取和依从性中断。客户(n = 25)和中心人员(n = 11)于2021年3月至7月完成了定性访谈。虽然该中心提供了远程预防护理的选择(即远程保健、性传播感染自检包和处方交付)，但客户在使用服务方面遇到困难，或缺乏远程保健设备。由于性伴侣减少、搬迁或保险状况改变，超过一半(n = 13)的客户在COVID-19期间停止了PrEP。在那些继续服用PrEP的人中，大多数人报告依从性没有变化，而少数人报告由于分心/遗忘、处方补充问题、缺乏保险覆盖以及害怕完成亲自访问而导致依从性恶化。调查结果强调了在COVID-19期间开展PrEP服务的挑战，并建议加强PrEP服务以适应危机事件。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Aids Education and Prevention Multiple-

CiteScore

2.20

自引率

5.60%

发文量

期刊介绍： Presenting state-of-the-art research and information, AIDS Education and Prevention is a vital addition to the library collections of medical schools, hospitals, and other institutions and organizations with HIV/AIDS research programs. The journal integrates public health, psychosocial, sociocultural, and public policy perspectives on issues of key concern nationally and globally.