TY - JOUR
T1 - Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Detection Self-Tests to Increase COVID-19 Case Detection in Peru
T2 - Qualitative Study
AU - Torres-Slimming, Paola A.
AU - Carcamo, Cesar
AU - Martínez-Pérez, Guillermo Z.
AU - Mallma, Patricia
AU - Pflucker, Cristina
AU - Shilton, Sonjelle
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
©Paola A Torres-Slimming, Cesar Carcamo, Guillermo Z Martínez-Pérez, Patricia Mallma, Cristina Pflucker, Sonjelle Shilton. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 17.03.2023. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in JMIR Formative Research, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://formative.jmir.org, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic heavily impacted many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as Peru, overwhelming their health systems. Rapid antigen detection self-tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, have been proposed as a portable, safe, affordable, and easy-to-perform approach to improve early detection and surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in resource-constrained populations where there are gaps in access to health care. Objective: This study aims to explore decision makers’ values and attitudes around SARS-CoV-2 self-testing. Methods: In 2021, we conducted a qualitative study in 2 areas of Peru (urban Lima and rural Valle del Mantaro). Purposive sampling was used to identify representatives of civil society groups (RSCs), health care workers (HCWs), and potential implementers (PIs) to act as informants whose voices would provide a proxy for the public’s attitudes around self-testing. Results: In total, 30 informants participated in individual, semistructured interviews (SSIs) and 29 informants participated in 5 focus group discussions (FGDs). Self-tests were considered to represent an approach to increase access to testing that both the rural and urban public in Peru would accept. Results showed that the public would prefer saliva-based self-tests and would prefer to access them in their community pharmacies. In addition, information about how to perform a self-test should be clear for each population subgroup in Peru. The tests should be of high quality and low cost. Health-informed communication strategies must also accompany any introduction of self-testing. Conclusions: In Peru, decision makers consider that the public would be willing to accept SARS-CoV-2 self-tests if they are accurate, safe to use, easily available, and affordable. Adequate information about the self-tests’ features and instructions, as well as about postuse access to counseling and care, must be made available through the Ministry of Health in Peru.
AB - Background: The COVID-19 pandemic heavily impacted many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as Peru, overwhelming their health systems. Rapid antigen detection self-tests for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, have been proposed as a portable, safe, affordable, and easy-to-perform approach to improve early detection and surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in resource-constrained populations where there are gaps in access to health care. Objective: This study aims to explore decision makers’ values and attitudes around SARS-CoV-2 self-testing. Methods: In 2021, we conducted a qualitative study in 2 areas of Peru (urban Lima and rural Valle del Mantaro). Purposive sampling was used to identify representatives of civil society groups (RSCs), health care workers (HCWs), and potential implementers (PIs) to act as informants whose voices would provide a proxy for the public’s attitudes around self-testing. Results: In total, 30 informants participated in individual, semistructured interviews (SSIs) and 29 informants participated in 5 focus group discussions (FGDs). Self-tests were considered to represent an approach to increase access to testing that both the rural and urban public in Peru would accept. Results showed that the public would prefer saliva-based self-tests and would prefer to access them in their community pharmacies. In addition, information about how to perform a self-test should be clear for each population subgroup in Peru. The tests should be of high quality and low cost. Health-informed communication strategies must also accompany any introduction of self-testing. Conclusions: In Peru, decision makers consider that the public would be willing to accept SARS-CoV-2 self-tests if they are accurate, safe to use, easily available, and affordable. Adequate information about the self-tests’ features and instructions, as well as about postuse access to counseling and care, must be made available through the Ministry of Health in Peru.
KW - Peru, COVID-19
KW - decision-making
KW - detection
KW - diagnostics
KW - health
KW - health system
KW - public
KW - qualitative research
KW - self-testing
KW - testing
KW - virus
KW - willingness
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85151345829
U2 - 10.2196/43183
DO - 10.2196/43183
M3 - Artículo
AN - SCOPUS:85151345829
SN - 2561-326X
VL - 7
JO - JMIR Formative Research
JF - JMIR Formative Research
M1 - e43183
ER -