RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Cross-sectional survey of sexual health professionals’ experiences and perceptions of the 2022 mpox outbreak in the UK
JF BMJ Open
JO BMJ Open
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP e080250
DO 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-080250
VO 14
IS 1
A1 Hayes, Rosalie
A1 Dakin, Francesca
A1 Smuk, Melanie
A1 Paparini, Sara
A1 Apea, Vanessa
A1 Dewsnap, Claire
A1 Waters, L
A1 Anderson, Jane
A1 Orkin, Chloe M
YR 2024
UL http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/14/1/e080250.abstract
AB Objective To understand the experiences and perceptions of sexual health professionals responding to the May 2022 mpox outbreak in the UK.Design Cross-sectional, anonymous, online survey collecting quantitative and qualitative data. Convenience sample recruited via an international network of sexual health and HIV clinicians responding to mpox and promoted through clinical associations and social media. Survey domains included: clinical workload; preparedness, support, and training; safety at work; vaccination; and well-being. Qualitative descriptive analysis of open-text responses was conducted to support interpretation of the quantitative data.Participants Participants who were employed as sexual health professionals in the UK and had direct clinical experience of mpox were included in the analysis. The survey was completed between 11 August and 31 October 2022 by 139 respondents, the majority of whom were doctors (72.7%), cis-female (70.5%) and White (78.4%).Results 70.3% reported that they were required to respond to mpox in addition to their existing clinical responsibilities, with 46.8% working longer hours as a result. In the open-text data, respondents highlighted that workload pressures were exacerbated by a lack of additional funding for mpox, pre-existing pressures on sexual health services, and unrealistic expectations around capacity. 67.6% of respondents reported experiencing negative emotional impact due to their mpox work, with stress (59.0%), fatigue (43.2%) and anxiety (36.0%) being the most common symptoms. 35.8% stated that they were less likely to remain in their profession because of their experiences during the mpox outbreak. In the open-text data, these feelings were ascribed to post-COVID exhaustion, understaffing and frustration among some participants at the handling of the mpox response.Conclusions These findings indicate that sexual health services require increased funding and resources, along with evidence-based well-being interventions, to support sexual health professionals’ outbreak preparedness and recovery.Data are available upon reasonable request. The authors commit to making the relevant anonymised participant level data available on reasonable request and following consultation with the Queen Mary University of London Ethics of Research Committee.