Sexual health service adaptations to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Australia: a nationwide online survey.
Aust N Z J Public Health
; 45(6): 622-627, 2021 Dec.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1388134
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
Examine the changes in service delivery Australian public sexual health clinics made to remain open during lockdown.METHODS:
A cross-sectional survey designed and delivered on Qualtrics was emailed to 21 directors of public sexual health clinics across Australia from July-August 2020 and asked about a variety of changes to service delivery. Descriptive statistics were calculated.RESULTS:
Twenty clinics participated, all remained open and reported service changes, including suspension of walk-in services in eight clinics. Some clinics stopped offering asymptomatic screening for varying patient populations. Most clinics transitioned to a mix of telehealth and face-to-face consultations. Nineteen clinics reported delays in testing and 13 reported limitations in testing. Most clinics changed to phone consultations for HIV medication refills (n=15) and eleven clinics prescribed longer repeat prescriptions. Fourteen clinics had staff redeployed to assist the COVID-19 response.CONCLUSION:
Public sexual health clinics pivoted service delivery to reduce risk of COVID-19 transmission in clinical settings, managed staffing reductions and delays in molecular testing, and maintained a focus on urgent and symptomatic STI presentations and those at higher risk of HIV/STI acquisition. Implications for public health Further research is warranted to understand what impact reduced asymptomatic screening may have had on community STI transmission.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
/
HIV Infections
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
/
Randomized controlled trials
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Oceania
Language:
English
Journal:
Aust N Z J Public Health
Journal subject:
Public Health
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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