COVID-19 self-testing, a way to "live side by side with the coronavirus": Results from a qualitative study in Indonesia

Abstract

Alongside mass vaccination for COVID-19, sustainable diagnostic strategies for SARS-CoV-2 are needed to empower local communities and help them complement health authorities' efforts to end the pandemic in low- and middle-income countries. Indonesia is among the nations with an overstretched health system that may benefit from technological innovations, such as rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detection tests for self-testing, to detect asymptomatic cases and interrupt the transmission of the virus to healthy individuals. In mid-2021, we conducted a qualitative research study with the aim of understanding key decision-makers' values and preferences regarding the implementation of COVID-19 self-testing in Indonesia. This research received ethics approval from the Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya and used a thematic analysis approach to explore the insights expressed by healthcare workers, representatives of civil society, and potential self-testing implementers in three geographies: Jakarta, Banten, and North Sulawesi. Thirty semi-structured interviews and six focus group discussions were carried out. As per the informants' narratives, the Indonesian public might accept rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detection self-testing as a tool that will enable them to test for COVID-19 at their own convenience. Concerns were expressed that the public might doubt the reliability of self-testing kits if these were not properly regulated and if counterfeit kits were known to be on the market. Fear of stigma, isolation, and clinical care costs were perceived to be among the drivers for self-test users to not report a reactive result. These fears might be mitigated, as per the informants' opinions, by awareness raising, passing of regulations, and participatory engagement of a range of community actors, such as village officers. Decision-makers consider rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detection self-testing to be a welcomed screening tool that could contribute to ensuring earlier access to treatment and decrease transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Indonesia.