During COVID-19, many people living with HIV had their routine care delivered by telehealth instead of in person. We wanted to understand how people felt about this change and what kind of care they would like in the future.
We invited people living with HIV to take part in an anonymous online survey. Almost 8 in 10 participants had used telehealth since the start of the pandemic. The things people liked most were the convenience of not leaving home or work, less travel time, and avoiding contact with others. The main downsides were not being able to have STI testing or a physical examination at the same time, finding it less personal, and sometimes finding it harder to talk about health concerns.
When asked about their preferences for the future, nearly half of participants wanted a mix of telehealth and in-person visits, while about one in four preferred in-person consultations only.
Our findings show telehealth has an important role in HIV care moving forward, especially when combined with in-person appointments for testing and physical exams. People living with HIV in our community value choice and flexibility in how their care is delivered."
About the study
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic many consultations for routine HIV care have moved from physical appointments to virtual ones, using either phone or video.
THETA is a survey designed for people living with HIV to explore the experiences of using Telehealth for HIV care, with a focus on the benefits and drawbacks of Telehealth consultations and preferences for future care beyond the pandemic.
Who we want to talk to
Any person age 18 years or older who is living with HIV, including men, women and individuals who are trans or gender diverse
What’s involved
Completing an anonymous online survey which takes about 10 minutes. No information will be collected that could identify you.
Ethics
All research in Australia involving humans is reviewed by an independent group of people called a Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC). The ethical aspects of this research project have been approved by the Alfred Hospital HREC.
This project will be carried out according to the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007). This statement has been developed to protect the interests of people who agree to participate in human research studies. Approval has been given by the Alfred Hospital HREC which reviews ethics applications for research carried out at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre.
Researchers
Principal investigators
Publications:
Telehealth for HIV care and management among people living with HIV in Australia: results from an online survey
Juan Martinez-Andres , Christopher K. Fairley, Timothy Krulic D E , Jason J. Ong , Louise Owen F , Anna McNulty , Melanie Bissessor A H , Caroline Thng , Charlotte Bell J , Mahesh Ratnayake J , Dean Murphy, Eric P. F. Chow and Tiffany R. Phillips
(2024), Sexual Health,