COVID-19 Impacts: Cancer, HIV/AIDS Treatment Hit Hardest - Research Paper

Introduction

The recent emergence of the novel coronavirus in late last year has created havoc and panic worldwide. It has impacted various sectors of the economy in a way that may seem very hard to recover from. Consequently, the health systems and treatment of some life-threatening diseases such as cancer and even the control of HIV/AIDS seem to be hit hardest since the control measures put up by the world health organization and different countries in response to COVID-19 are inhibiting factors. The new coronavirus health measures that have been set, such as staying at home and social distance are very crucial in the prevention and control of the spread (Boakye and Mavhandu-Mudzusi, 2019). However, these measures which seem to be working well so far may, in one way or another, inhibit HIV patients from accessing the required healthcare services such as antiretroviral drugs, keeping appointments with healthcare experts in an attempt to adhere to the strict guidelines set aside by the government.

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The sub-Saharan countries in Africa seem to be contending with such unpredictable circumstances, for instance, Ghana. As of 2018, according to the statistics provided by the World Bank indicate that the HIV/AIDS prevalence in Ghana is between the ages of 15-49 and is at 1.7%, which accounts for 310000 persons (Dapaah, and Senah, 2016). Therefore, the WHO and UNAIDS have recently come out to plea with governments to ensure even as they strategically fight the global pandemic. They also ought to ensure that the treatment adherence by the people living with patients. Up to date, many African countries in sub-Saharan Africa have implemented lockdowns that tremendously influence the PLWHs in Ghana. The strict measures which come along with the lockdown measures prove to be adverse to the HIV/AIDS patients especially when it comes to travel restrictions as studies have shown that these people are more likely to be cut-off from the frequent access to the ARVs as they continuously strive to mitigate around the stigmatization that is associated with the epidemic.

The impact of the novel coronavirus on people living with HIV/AIDS in Ghana is the centerpiece of this study protocol since it is among the sub-Saharan countries which are ranked worldwide to have the leading numbers of HIV patients despite that the spread of COVID-19 is least compared to other continents. Previous research studies suggest that the weak health systems of third world countries make them more vulnerable to the adverse effects of the pandemic (Dapaah, and Senah, 2016). However, the researchers tend to leave out vital information on the specific details of the new coronavirus correlation to HIV.

Rationale

This study will equip us with the relevant knowledge in determining and identifying the negativities that the COVID-19 pandemic brings and how the measures put up to curb its spread have cynically affected the HIV patients. Through the findings, we will enroll the different response measures that have been set up by the Ghanaian government in response to the novel coronavirus. Also, our comprehension of the said issue will be significantly important in determining how the control measures impact PLWHs (Jerving, 2020). Moreover, personal interviews will paint out a clear picture of the future effects on HIV patients` adherence. The data obtained in the sequential research will be quite beneficial. Consequently, ethical considerations will aid in determining the best methods to study while ensuring safety. Furthermore, the practices of dissemination of findings will be critical in the sensitization of the public and government on what should or should not be done.

Research Questions

Based on the PICO framework, our analysis will be based on the Patient problem, Intervention, Control, and finally, Outcome. The knowledge of these key strategies will enable me to develop the most appropriate questions that will guide the whole research process. Some of the questions are listed below.

• What are the statistical characterizations of the population under study? (Aspects such as gender, age-group and the ethnic identity)
• What mode of intervention is under consideration in the research? (What is the basis of the study?)
• What control measure can be applied to counter the loose-ends left in the fight against HIV/AIDS? (Strategies that can be implemented by the government in response to the issue)
• What effects are likely to be identified? Are the results acceptable or not acceptable?
• What are the negativities of the COVID-19 response measures in Ghana?
• What measures are the Ghanaian governments taking, or what should they do to counter the rising crisis?

Study Objectives

For any research to be undertaken, the goals are the driving forces to the activities to be conducted. Our research, in this case, will be aimed at achieving the following.

• To determine the distribution of the people living with HIV/AIDS in the different parts of Ghana.
• To be able to identify the areas which have been majorly affected by the covid-19 pandemic?
• To look into the response measures that have been set up by the government and how they are being implemented.
• To analyze the correlation between the covid-19 control measures and how HIV patients are surviving through this period.
• To critique the HIV adherence process and how it has been adversely affected by the worldwide pandemic.
• To determine the measures the government is taking to respond to the calls made by WHO and UNAIDS in an attempt to advocate for the needs of the people living with HIV and AIDS.
• To identify the Ghanaian ethics and how to tune the research process to suit the prevention methods.

Study Design

It is vital at this stage to gather statistical evidence on the impacts that COVID 19 brings to the stipulated measures that HIV patients adhere to in Ghana. Understanding the dilemma, COVID 19 has impacted these patients, will help critically analyze this information, and formulate the appropriate mitigation measures. Hence, it is of utmost importance to draft a study design since it will aid in planning on how to address these issues. Also, it helps in outlining appropriate and specific frameworks that will be applied in conducting qualitative research. Therefore, three specific parts in Ghana will be the target location for the study (Dapaah, and Senah, 2016). The regions are the northern, upper, and east regions of the country and part of the Ashanti area. The specificity of choosing these regions is because a recent study by Ghana AIDS Commission showed that in 2017, the regional AIDS prevalence had the following statistics: Ashanti being the primary region of interest had reported a tremendous increase of 3.2% HIV positive cases, the upper east part also recorded 1.7% HIV prevalence cases and subsequently, the northern region of Ghana with the lowest prevalence of 0.7% (Jerving, 2020). The findings from these previous statistics will significantly help in choosing these target regions.

Consequently, these regions are both rural and urban areas, which makes them the most ideal for the research project. In the northern part, the following areas will be the target; Tongo, Bongo, and Olgatanga hospitals to gather information. In the east region, Tamale Teaching Hospital -TTH, Tamale Central walale, and Savelugu hospital will be in the spotlight. Consequently, the Ashanti area has hospitals in Kumasi that will be quite helpful in the research project. It will entirely focus on the HIV positive patients, and a quick follow up on their adherence measures that they are engaged in.

The study will majorly focus on qualitative analysis methods that involve employing in-depth interviews. Interviews are quite applicable in this study since the information required is from personal accounts and perspectives from the affected patients. Interviews will give a comprehensive understanding of these adherence plans that these HIV patients are involved in, the challenges they face in the middle of this pandemic, and comprehension of the effects that COVID-19 mitigation measures impact on them. Furthermore, a qualitative study entirely focuses on the hinges of the conceptual levels rather than statistics. The qualitative study approach that will be used to analyze this research project is phenomenology. The research will also try to explore strategies that these HIV patients and the Ghanaian government will deploy so that to ensure the continuity of their adherence procedures. Other useful methods that will be used to collect these data will include questionnaires. The questionnaires will have drafted questions that will be used to answer the predicted research questions. The recruitment of these participants will be carried out by the use of purposeful sampling methods.

Methodology

Conducting a study methodology will be very vital since it tends to address the targeted study findings to be researched. The study protocol will be governed by the motive to investigate the impacts of COVID-19 in the adherence of HIV positive patients in Ghana and the possible strategies that they will incorporate in their daily routine (Boakye and Mavhandu-Mudzusi, 2019). The methodology will depict the chronological steps that will be used to collect, study, analyze, and evaluate the findings. These findings will give a broader perspective of the whole situation and better analytical study that will help aid the research. The methodology outlines the different procedures that will be used in the study, examining the type of data collection tools and the analysis processes that will be implemented. Besides, the methodology outlines the specific strategies that will be used to attain qualitative research. The goal of using the qualitative technique is to achieve an accurate result that will be useful in the data analysis.

Data Collection

The data collection process is the most significant part of research; hence it needs maximum attention. The collection process will determine the relevance and efficiency of the data; therefore, it should be handled diligently. Our findings will critically address the issues that will be discussed in the research. The qualitative approaches include the use of interviews, surveys, use of questionnaires, online articles, and books, to mention a few. Since it is difficult to reach these participants from their places of residence, the selected facilities will come in handy. They will be engaged during their clinical visits when they are attending clinical checkups and the collection of their drugs. The principal researchers should always be in the hospitals at all times, and they ought to have back-up interpreters in the event the patient is not conversant with the language in use. The interviews should be audio-recorded since they will be used as evidence in backing up the findings of the research.

Moreover, during the interviews, the researchers will need to produce field notes that will majorly be used in evaluating the research findings. Also, on the arrival of the patients to be studied, questionnaires will be administered for them to answer the outlined questions. The most significant method of data collection to be used will be the interviews. On interviewing them, I will randomly be choosing who to ask the questions about how their adherence structure, how the measures placed to mitigate COVID-19 has affected their structures and possible strategies that they have implemented to prolong their healthcare services. I will also stress on asking them the impacts that COVID -19 has on their personal life (Kretchy et al, 2020). For maximum use of these methods of collecting data, I will investigate whether there are any secondary sources related to the research....