Analysis Reveals Barriers to Routine HIV Testing in High-Income Countries

Article

A new HIV Medicine study identified several barriers to routine HIV testing in emergency departments and acute medical units in the UK and U.S.

For the study, investigators searched electronic databases for U.S. and UK studies published between 2006 and 2015 that described the offer of HIV testing to adults. HIV testing coverage ranged from 10 percent to 38 percent and 19 percent to 26 percent while uptake levels were higher (70 percent to 84 percent and 53 percent to 75 percent) in the UK and US, respectively. Operational barriers such as lack of time, the need for training, and concerns about giving results and follow-up of HIV-positive results were reported. Patient-specific factors including female sex, old age, and low risk perception correlated with refusal of HIV testing. Factors that facilitated the offer of HIV testing were venous sampling (versus point-of-care tests), commitment of medical staff to HIV testing policy and support from local HIV specialist providers.

"The individual and public health benefits of early HIV diagnosis and prompt treatment are hampered by the unacceptably low rates of routine HIV testing in non-specialist settings," said lead author Dr. Ali Elgalib. "The barriers identified by our review lie more with providers rather than patients--they stem from staff fears about offering HIV testing due to perceived lack of knowledge about HIV."

Source: Wiley

Recent Videos
Mark Wiencek, PhD
Rebecca Crapanzano-Sigafoos, DrPH, CIC, AL-CIP, FAPIC
The CDC’s updated hospital respiratory reporting requirement has added new layers of responsibility for infection preventionists. Karen Jones, MPH, RN, CIC, FAPIC, clinical program manager at Wolters Kluwer, breaks down what it means and how IPs can adapt.
Studying for the CIC using a digital tablet and computer (Adobe Stock 335828989 by NIKCOA)
Infection Control Today's Conversations with the HSPA President, Arlene Bush, CRCST, CER, CIS, SME, DSMD, CRMST
Infection Control Today's Conversations with the HSPA President, Arlene Bush, CRCST, CER, CIS, SME, DSMD, CRMST
Cheron Rojo, BS, FCS, CHL,  CER, CFER, CRCST
Matthias Tschoerner, Dr Sc
Standardizing Cleaning and Disinfection
Concept images of Far-UVC  (Adobe Stock 316993517 by hopenv)
Related Content