Opt-In and Opt-Out HIV Testing, Revisited

In San Francisco, opt-out testing was the clear winner.

In many people, the prospect of HIV testing elicits emotional and often irrational reactions that can interfere seriously with their medical care. Researchers have attempted for years to figure out how best to deflect these emotions and increase testing rates, but studies have yielded wildly inconsistent results. San Francisco researchers attempted to remove all confounders by evaluating three different HIV testing strategies among patients who visited a single local emergency room (ER) between 2011 and 2013.

All eligible patients were informed by study personnel, “We're offering routine HIV tests to all of our patients. It's a rapid test with results available in one to two hours.” To divert attention from the issue of HIV testing, patients…

Reviewing Author

Abigail Zuger, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Abigail Zuger, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Opt-In and Opt-Out HIV Testing, Revisited

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Reviewing Author