Photo Credit: Yaroslav Olieinikov
The following is a summary of “Telemedicine for HIV care: a cross-sectional survey of people living with HIV receiving care at two federally qualified health centers in Los Angeles during a mature phase of the COVID-19 pandemic,” published in the December 2024 issue of Infectious Disease by Walker et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine telemedicine use (telephone and video) at 2 federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in Los Angeles and explore client attitudes and experiences regarding its role in future HIV care.
They administered surveys to 271 people living with HIV (PLHIV), addressing sociodemographic factors, telemedicine attitudes, experiences, technological literacy, and access to resources and privacy. Survey responses were analyzed using summary statistics, chi-square analyses, and Fisher’s exact test to explore associations between sociodemographic factors and telemedicine perceptions and experiences.
The results showed 60% of the sample had used telemedicine, with 93% opting for telephone visits. Most participants (95%, n = 257) had access to a smartphone and rated their technological literacy as high. Nearly 88% (n = 239) had consistent privacy access, and those without privacy cited it as a barrier. Key benefits of telemedicine include time and cost savings, convenience, and appointment completion. Over half of PLHIV preferred in-person discussions for sensitive topics (60%, n = 164 for telephone; 55%, n = 151 for video). Despite limited video use, 50% expressed interest in a combination of telephone and video visits for future HIV care.
Investigators concluded that, during the mature phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, PLHIV expressed high satisfaction with telemedicine, primarily through telephone visits, and demonstrated strong interest in its continued use for future HIV care, with further studies needed to explore barriers to video telemedicine and its impact on clinical outcomes.
Source: bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-024-10351-x
