Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the disruption in care for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the social distancing measures have led to reductions in STI testing and sexual... Show moreBackground: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the disruption in care for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the social distancing measures have led to reductions in STI testing and sexual behavior. We assessed the impact of these COVID-19-related changes on transmission of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in The Netherlands. Methods: We developed a mathematical model for CT and NG transmission among MSM, accounting for COVID-19-related changes in sexual behavior and testing in 2020 to 2021. Changes in 2020 were estimated from data from the Dutch COVID-19, Sex, and Intimacy Survey among MSM and the National Database of STI Clinics. Because of the lack of data for 2021, we examined several scenarios covering a range of changes. Results: A reduction of 10% and 40% in STI testing of symptomatic and asymptomatic, respectively, individuals with a 10% to 20% reduction in numbers of casual partners (according to partner status and activity level) during the second lockdown, resulted in a 2.4% increase in CT prevalence, but a 2.8% decline in NG prevalence in 2021. A 5% and 30% reduction in STI testing of symptomatic and asymptomatic, respectively, individuals with the same reduction in casual partners resulted in a 0.6% increase in CT prevalence and a 4.9% decrease in NG prevalence in 2021. Conclusions: The disruption in STI care due to COVID-19 might have resulted in a small increase in CT prevalence, but a decrease in NG prevalence. Scaling up STI care is imperative to prevent increases in STI transmission. Show less
Radó-Trilla, N.; Solans-Domènech, M.; Adam, P. 2018
As the Catalan research assessment agency, we designed and implemented an ongoing, ex-post and impact assessment system in the area of health system (SARIS), which includes a crucial pillar:... Show moreAs the Catalan research assessment agency, we designed and implemented an ongoing, ex-post and impact assessment system in the area of health system (SARIS), which includes a crucial pillar: engagement. We developed an approach that combines the co-creation with the stakeholders in order to define topics of interests, with the formulation of preliminary indicators to assess the impact of nursing research. Therefore, a 2-phase approach was developed. First, discussion groups with the main purpose of identifying topics of interest in relations to the impact of nursing research were developed. Nurses from different settings, territories and disciplines made emerge four topics of interest: ‘advancement of knowledge’, ‘results dissemination’, ‘nurse training and networks’ and ‘results application’. Second, the suggested ideas from the focus groups were analysed and discussed in order to elaborate 30 preliminary indicators. Next steps will include a consensus in order to assess the relevance of these indicators. In the current context, where research in nursery care has not been measured before, co-creation with stakeholders might be a win-win strategy to reach three objectives: 1) obtaining a meaningful and measurable set of indicators, 2) raising awareness on the transformative potential of nursery care research, and 3) in motivating researchers in nursery care to maximize the impact. Show less
