Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, 358 Mansfield Road, Unit 1101, Storrs, CT, 06269-1101, USA.
Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP), University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
J Community Health. 2021 Oct;46(5):960-966. doi: 10.1007/s10900-021-00979-0. Epub 2021 Mar 26.
The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated restrictive orders and programmatic changes that may be associated with disruptions in services, including those for opioid-dependent people who inject drugs (PWID). This study aims to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on access to and utilization of various HIV prevention services among PWID with opioid use disorder (OUD). We interviewed 110 PWID enrolled in medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment (e.g., methadone) between May and October, 2020 to identify if this sample experienced changed in access to the following services due to the COVID-19 pandemic: (a) HIV or sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing, (b) pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services, (c) HIV counselor or doctor appointments, and (d) clean injection equipment. A majority of the sample reported that COVID-19 had not changed their access to HIV testing or access to STI testing. Almost half of the sample reported that getting an appointment with a doctor decreased due to COVID-19. Participants reported that access to a lab or blood testing, access to injection equipment, and sessions with a case manager or counselor decreased. One-fourth of the 32 participants who were taking PrEP before the onset of COVID-19 reported that they had trouble getting their PrEP prescription due to COVID-19, and some reported that they had difficulty getting the PrEP prescription filled at their pharmacy. Our results indicate that PWID did not experience reduced access to HIV or STI testing, but difficulties in obtaining appointments with HIV counselors or doctors and limited access to PrEP were presented. Innovative strategies are needed to reduce the adverse effects of COVID-19 on HIV prevention among PWID.
COVID-19 大流行需要采取限制性措施和计划变更，这可能会导致服务中断，包括对注射吸毒的阿片类药物依赖者（PWID）的服务。本研究旨在评估 COVID-19 大流行对患有阿片类药物使用障碍（OUD）的 PWID 获取和利用各种 HIV 预防服务的影响。我们采访了 2020 年 5 月至 10 月期间参加药物治疗（例如美沙酮）的 110 名 PWID，以确定由于 COVID-19 大流行，他们是否在以下服务的获取方面发生了变化：（a）HIV 或性传播感染（STI）检测；（b）暴露前预防（PrEP）服务；（c）HIV 顾问或医生预约；（d）清洁注射设备。大多数样本报告说 COVID-19 并未改变他们接受 HIV 检测或接受 STI 检测的机会。将近一半的样本报告说，由于 COVID-19，他们获得医生预约的机会减少了。参与者报告说，获得实验室或血液检测、获得注射设备以及与个案管理员或顾问进行的咨询减少了。在 COVID-19 爆发之前服用 PrEP 的 32 名参与者中有四分之一报告说，由于 COVID-19，他们难以获得 PrEP 处方，有些报告说他们难以在药房获得 PrEP 处方。我们的结果表明，PWID 并未经历 HIV 或 STI 检测机会减少的情况，但在获得 HIV 顾问或医生预约以及有限的 PrEP 获得机会方面遇到了困难。需要创新策略来减轻 COVID-19 对 PWID 中 HIV 预防的不利影响。
