HIV medicine
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Review
HIV testing in community settings in resource-rich countries: a systematic review of the evidence.
Community HIV testing represents an opportunity for diagnosing HIV infection among individuals who may not have contact with health services, especially in hard-to-reach groups. The aim of this review was to assess the evidence for feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of HIV testing strategies in community settings in resource-rich countries. ⋯ In the majority of studies, the reported seropositivity was higher than 1/1000, the threshold deemed to be cost-effective for routinely offering testing. Rapid testing improved the return of HIV test results to clients. HIV testing in outreach settings may be important in identifying undiagnosed infections in at-risk populations, but appropriate data to evaluate these initiatives must be collected.
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Many patients may believe that HIV screening is included in routine preoperative work-ups. We examined what proportion of patients undergoing preoperative blood testing believed that they had been tested for HIV. ⋯ Many patients believe that a preoperative blood test routinely screens for HIV. The incorrect assumption that a lack of result communication indicates a negative test may contribute to delays in HIV diagnoses.