How did health service utilization and delivery change during the COVID-19 pandemic? Frontline healthcare workers' perceptions from the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND

Most countries experienced disruptions in essential health services since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the risk and prioritization of COVID-19 leading to diversions of resources and health staff. Disruptions were particularly concerning in humanitarian and fragile settings due to pre-existing vulnerabilities. We investigated how healthcare workers (HCW) perceived changes in health service provision, and whether and how programmatic adaptations were introduced in three humanitarian settings.

METHODS

Key informant interviews were conducted with 29, 39 and 54 frontline HCWs in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Bangladesh, respectively. The interviews were coded by two authors using deductive and inductive coding. Data were organized in a framework, and thematic analysis was conducted to identify similarities and discrepancies across respondents and study sites. Data were collected between March and July 2021 in each country.

RESULTS

HCWs' perceptions varied across services and countries. Most HCWs reported decreased consultations for maternal and newborn health, sexual reproductive health, communicable diseases, and community-based activities, with mixed perceptions across countries for vaccinations, nutrition, non-communicable diseases, and referrals. Reasons for reduced healthcare utilization included fear of contracting COVID-19 and receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, compliance with movement restrictions, financial barriers, and medication stockouts. Factors specific to humanitarian settings included insecurity, population displacement, presence of a technical partner, lack of medical equipment, and staff shortages. Infection prevention and control measures (i.e., patient triage, mask-wearing, physical distance, hand washing) were introduced in all countries. Other service adaptations included spaced out consultations, reduced group size, extended drug prescriptions, changes in nutrition protocols, telemedicine, and shift to COVID-19 focus during awareness activities.

CONCLUSIONS

During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, HCWs reported varying healthcare utilization according to different services and contexts in three humanitarian settings. Program adaptations to address COVID-19 risks were introduced. Although guidance existed at the global level, contextual factors such as insecurity, displacement, and pre-existing capacity affected healthcare utilization and health service delivery more than the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in DRC and CAR, where the number of reported COVID-19 cases remained low for several months.