Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39762820›Full record

ArticleBMC health services research2025

The impact of COVID-19 on HIV care: a comprehensive analysis of patient and healthcare providers experiences at the largest HIV treatment center in Ghana.

Peter Puplampu, Justice K Baah, Karl Osei Afoduo, Bright A Adjei, Araba Abaidoo-Myles, Victor G Davila-Roman, George B Kyei, Collins S Ahorlu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC health services research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Peter PuplampuMedical and Scientific Research Centre, the University of Ghana Medical Center, Accra, Ghana.
Justice K BaahMedical and Scientific Research Centre, the University of Ghana Medical Center, Accra, Ghana.
Karl Osei AfoduoMedical and Scientific Research Centre, the University of Ghana Medical Center, Accra, Ghana.
Bright A AdjeiMedical and Scientific Research Centre, the University of Ghana Medical Center, Accra, Ghana.
Araba Abaidoo-MylesMedical and Scientific Research Centre, the University of Ghana Medical Center, Accra, Ghana.
Victor G Davila-RomanDepartment of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
George B KyeiMedical and Scientific Research Centre, the University of Ghana Medical Center, Accra, Ghana. g.kyei@wustl.edu.
Collins S AhorluDepartment of Epidemiology, College of Health Sciences, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana. cahorlu@noguchi.ug.edu.gh.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWe sought to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected care delivery for HIV patients in Ghana.

methodsGuided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), we performed a cross-sectional study between May and July 2021 among 40 people living with HIV and 19 healthcare providers caring for HIV patients. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were done with HIV patients, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists, data scientists, administrators, and counselors to ascertain barriers and facilitators to HIV care during the pandemic. We asked for their input on removing barriers to care during this and future pandemics. Data was analyzed thematically with the help of the qualitative software MAXQDA.

resultsPre-pandemic practices, such as using cards for appointments and making phone calls to patients, and intra-pandemic measures, such as re-arranging the clinic setup for patient safety, contributed to clinic attendance. However, the fear of infection, transportation costs, and fear of stigma impeded clinic attendance. Patients spent less time in the clinic because stable patients received medication refills without seeing the doctor. This meant many patients with chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia did not get the necessary physician review during the pandemic's peak. Due to pervasive stigma, patients were cautious about home delivery of medications and telemedicine solutions.

conclusionWhile solutions like telemedicine and home visits may work for primary care or other chronic conditions during pandemics, stigma makes these interventions unattractive options for many HIV patients.

Indexed as

COVID-19HIV InfectionsAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleFocus GroupsGhanaHealth PersonnelHealth Services AccessibilityHumansMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsQualitative ResearchSARS-CoV-2Social StigmaCOVID-19HIVImpactPatientPLWH

Identifiers

PMID39762820
PMCPMC11705771

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.