AUTHOR=Tam Greta , Wong Samuel Yeung Shan 

TITLE=A Cross-Sectional Study Comparing Two Opt-Out HIV Testing Strategies in the Out-Patient Setting

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.664494

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2021.664494

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Background:  HIV infections are generally asymptomatic, leading to undetected infections and late-stage diagnoses.  Although routine opt-out HIV screening is recommended for adults in all healthcare settings, there are a lack of acceptable testing strategies.  
Methods:  A cross-sectional study was conducted in a primary care clinic over a four-week period in 2016 to 2017 and in a specialist out-patient clinic over a concurrent 11-month period.  Patients were invited to complete a questionnaire assessing demographic characteristics, acceptance of opt-out HIV testing as a policy in all out-patient clinics in Hong Kong and reasons if refusing the HIV test.  All respondents were offered an HIV test.
Results:  This study included 648 and 1603 patients in the primary care and specialist out-patient clinic respectively.  Test acceptability was 86% and 87% in the primary care and specialist out-patient setting respectively.  Test uptake was 35% and 68% in the primary care and specialist out-patient setting respectively.  No HIV infections were detected.  
Conclusion:  Opt-out HIV testing during routine blood taking in the specialist out-patient setting achieved a high test uptake and acceptability.  In contrast, opt-out HIV testing using rapid finger-prick tests in the primary care setting was not effective.