ArticleAIDS and behavior2024
Impact of COVID-19 on the Utilization of HIV Testing and Linkage Services in Sierra Leone: Experience from Three Public Health Facilities in Freetown.
Article in AIDS and behavior, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the HIV care continuum and related factors in economically disadvantaged nations: an integrated analysis using mixed-methods systematic review.European journal of medical research · 2024Pooled it
- Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on drug-resistant tuberculosis treatment outcomes at a national referral hospital in Sierra Leone, 2017 to 2022: A retrospective cohort study.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on regional and national uptake of HIV testing services in Sierra Leone: a descriptive analysis.BMC public health · 2025Article
- HIV viral suppression at different thresholds and duration of treatment in the dolutegravir treatment era in Sierra Leone: a nationwide survey.Virology journal · 2023Article
- Hand Hygiene Practices and Promotion in Public Hospitals in Western Sierra Leone: Changes Following Operational Research in 2021.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 6 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected the delivery of essential health services globally. In this study, we aimed to assess the impact of the pandemic on HIV testing and linkage services at three public health facilities in Freetown, Sierra Leone. We conducted a retrospective study to assess the impact of COVID-19 on HIV testing and linkage to treatment services (HTS) at Connaught Hospital (CH-tertiary), Lumley Government Hospital (LGH-secondary) and George Brooke Community Health Center (GBC-primary) in Freetown. Statistical analyses were conducted in Stata (16.1, StataCorp LLC, College Station, TX). Intra-pandemic HTS (2020) and HTS during recovery (2021) were compared with pre-pandemic HTS (2019). Of the 8538 people tested for HIV in the three facilities, 4929 (57.5%) visited CH. Only 2249 people were tested for HIV in 2020 compared to 3825 in 2019 (difference: - 41.2%, P < 0.001). Fewer people were also tested in 2021 (difference: - 35.6% P < 0.001). The largest reductions in testing in 2020 occurred in women (- 47.7%), children under 15 (- 95.2%), married people (- 42.6%), and CH (- 46.2%). Overall, 1369 (16.0%) people were positive for HIV; CH (878, 17.9%), LGH (469, 15.6%) and GBC (22, 3.5%). The likelihood of a positive HIV test was 26% lower in 2020 than 2019 (PR 0.74; 95% CI 0.64-0.85; P < 0.001), but 16% higher in 2021 than 2019 (PR 1.16; 95% CI 1.03-1.30; P < 0.05). Of the 1369 HIV diagnosis, 526 (38.4%) were linked to care. We found significant disruptions in HIV testing and linkage services at different levels of service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring the need to strengthen essential health services during public health emergencies.
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