Do HIV Testing Rates Improve When Written Consent Is No Longer Required?

In September 2006, the CDC released guidelines advocating not only routine, voluntary HIV testing of all adults in healthcare settings but also the elimination of written informed consent for HIV testing. The potential influence of such a change in consent practices is unknown, but the experience of the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) may shed some light.

In May 2006, the SFDPH eliminated the requirement for written informed consent for HIV testing within the city’s hospitals and primary care centers, as long as clinicians documented in the medical record that verbal consent was obtained (i.e., patient signature was not required). Although physicians were electronically notified of the policy change, there were no simultane…