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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on HIV Services in Korea: Results from a Cross-Sectional Online Survey

Authors
 Jeong-A Lee  ;  Yeni Kim  ;  Jun Yong Choi 
Citation
 INFECTION AND CHEMOTHERAPY, Vol.53(4) : 741-752, 2021-12 
Journal Title
INFECTION AND CHEMOTHERAPY
ISSN
 2093-2340 
Issue Date
2021-12
Keywords
Anti-retroviral agents ; COVID-19 ; HIV infections ; Pre-exposure prophylaxis ; SARS-CoV-2
Abstract
Background: Globally, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has compromised human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) services. The study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the access and delivery of HIV care in Korea.

Materials and methods: People living with HIV (PLHIV), people at risk of HIV (PAR) and prescribers of HIV care were recruited through a patient advocacy group, online communities for men who have sex with men (MSM) and a HIV care center for a web-based survey between October 22 and November 26, 2020. The survey compared the frequency of hospital/clinic visits, HIV-related testing, access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) or preventive medications, and experience with telehealth services by PLHIV and PAR between the pre-pandemic and pandemic eras.

Results: One hundred and twelve PLHIV (mean age: 38.5 ± 10.2 years), 174 PAR (mean age: 33.5 ± 8.0 years) and 9 prescribers participated the survey; ≥97% of the PLHIV and PAR were male. A greater proportion of PAR than PLHIV reported a decrease in the frequency of hospital/clinical visits (59.2% vs. 17.0%) and HIV-related testing (50.6% vs. 6.3%) since COVID-19. Among PAR, not engaging or engaging less in high-risk behaviors was the most frequently cited reason (51.1%) for decreased frequency of HIV-related tests. A substantial proportion of PLHIV (12.5%) and PAR (50.0%) experienced interrupted use of ART and HIV preventive medications, respectively. A substantial proportion of PLHIV (35.7%) and PAR (62.5%) were concerned about the long-term accessibility of HIV care, however, >90% had not used any types of telehealth services during the pandemic.

Conclusion: Overall, COVID-19 has negatively impacted the access and delivery of HIV services in Korea, especially HIV-related testing for PAR. Our findings highlight the need to develop strategies to mitigate the interrupted HIV care.
Files in This Item:
T202126246.pdf Download
DOI
10.3947/ic.2021.0112
Appears in Collections:
1. College of Medicine (의과대학) > Dept. of Internal Medicine (내과학교실) > 1. Journal Papers
Yonsei Authors
Choi, Jun Yong(최준용) ORCID logo https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2775-3315
URI
https://ir.ymlib.yonsei.ac.kr/handle/22282913/190653
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