Abstract
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures forced sexual health services to engage with patients remotely. We aimed to understand perceived barriers and facilitators to the provision of digital sexual health services during the first months of the pandemic. Methods: An online survey and qualitative interviews with UK sexual healthcare professionals recruited online and via snowball sampling were conducted in May–July 2020. Results: Amongst 177 respondents (72% female, 86% White, mean age = 46, SD = 9), most utilised telephone and email as their main communication channels; however, their perceived effectiveness varied (94% and 66%, respectively). Most agreed that staff needed additional training (89%), the available technology was not adequate (66%) and health professionals were hesitant to provide online consultations (46%). They had positive attitudes towards digitalisation, improving service quality and cost-effectiveness but were concerned about exacerbating health inequalities. Discussion: The study identifies a need for clear guidelines and training around the use of digital tools as well as a demand for investment in hardware and software required for the provision of remote services. Future research needs to explore the acceptability, safety and effectiveness of various digital tools to narrow health inequalities in sexual health service users.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures forced sexual health services to engage with patients remotely
Despite the availability of guidelines on the digital transformation of SRHS15 in January 2020, a substantial proportion of the sample felt that the support for digitalisation was inadequate, expressing a need for additional training and equipment to provide remote services safely and effectively
Most Sexual healthcare professionals (SHPs) were receptive to the digitalisation of sexual and reproductive health services (SRHS); there was a strong emphasis on narrowing, rather than widening, health inequalities with the help of technology
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures forced sexual health services to engage with patients remotely. Between March and May 2020, a UK nationwide lockdown was put into place to reduce excess hospitalisation of patients due to COVID-19, while most outpatient and primary care services restricted face-to-face access, recording a significant decline in attendance and overall healthcare utilisation.[1,2] Patients were advised to use alternative remote channels of communication, in particular telephone or video consultations with a range of tools such as emails, text message applications, digital leaflets and web chats.[3] Such a rapid adaptation of digital technologies during the first lockdown had a significant influence on the delivery of services and community-based programmes, often lacking a regulatory framework.[4] Healthcare professionals had to respond to the rapid provision of innovation to ensure service continuity These were proceeded without contextual guidelines, best clinic practice examples, audits and ongoing evaluations to ensure equitable access and quality of care. Public Health England reported an overall 13% reduction in consultations, with a 20% increase in digital consultations during the first lockdown accelerating the provision of digital sexual health
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