Rapid HIV Testing in the Emergency Department — Does Test Type Affect Acceptance?

Patients in the ED had similar rates of acceptance for oral-fluid and fingerstick testing.

HIV testing, which is recommended for people aged 13 to 64 in all U.S. healthcare settings, has generally been shown to yield more new HIV diagnoses in emergency departments (EDs) than in other clinical settings. Investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston recently conducted a prospective, randomized study to determine whether the type of rapid HIV test offered in the ED affects the likelihood of patients agreeing to be tested.

A total of 1651 patients were randomized to either oral-fluid or fingerstick HIV testing. The informed consent document for participants randomized to oral-fluid testing stated that “3 of 4 patients with a ‘reactive' test do not have HIV infection”; the document for those randomized to fingerstick blood te…

Reviewing Author

Charles B. Hicks, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardGilead Sciences; ViiV; Merck

RoyaltiesUpToDate, Inc.

Grant / Research supportNIH; Department of Health and Human Services

Charles B. Hicks, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardGilead Sciences; ViiV; Merck

RoyaltiesUpToDate, Inc.

Grant / Research supportNIH; Department of Health and Human Services

Rapid HIV Testing in the Emergency Department — Does Test Type Affect Acceptance?

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Reviewing Author