Missed Opportunities for HIV Testing Among At-Risk Patients

Despite contact with healthcare providers, many individuals at high risk for HIV infection are not offered HIV testing.

In 2006, the CDC recommended testing all individuals between ages 13 and 64 for HIV infection at least once, with annual testing for those in higher-risk groups, followed by similar recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in 2013. Despite that, an estimated 15% of Americans living with HIV are unaware of their infection. Using the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance database, investigators at the CDC identified individuals older than 18 in high-risk populations who tested positive for HIV but were previously unaware of their HIV infection; this group included 2002 men who have sex with men (MSM) and 1589 persons who inject drugs (PWID).

Of those who tested HIV positive, 151 MSM (8%) and 184 PWID (12%) were unaw…

Reviewing Author

Wendy S. Armstrong, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardNIH Therapeutics and Prevention Data Safety Monitoring Board

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Board of Internal Medicine Infectious Diseases Subspecialty Board (member), Infectious Diseases Society of America (Vice President)

Wendy S. Armstrong, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardNIH Therapeutics and Prevention Data Safety Monitoring Board

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Board of Internal Medicine Infectious Diseases Subspecialty Board (member), Infectious Diseases Society of America (Vice President)

Missed Opportunities for HIV Testing Among At-Risk Patients

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Reviewing Author