AEGiS-05CROI: Rapid test strategies for HIV testing.

5th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections


Chicago, IL - February 1-5, 1998



Rapid test strategies for HIV testing.

Conf Retroviruses Opportunistic Infect 1998 Feb 1-5; 5th:232 (abstract no. S13)

Branson BM; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.

Background: Clinical trials demonstrate that rapid HIV tests are acceptable, cost-effective, and practical for increasing the number of clients who learn their infection status. However, rapid tests are rarely used in the U.S. because the USPHS recommends that a positive EIA be confirmed before results are given.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the impact for US publicly-funded testing programs from using rapid HIV tests and giving unconfirmed screening tests results.

METHODS: A decision model was constructed to compare outcomes from current HIV testing and rapid tests. We used data on rates of return for results observed in clinical trials of rapid tests and from the CDC client record database for 1995. We determined the number of persons who would have received results under each strategy and the number who would have received a false-positive rapid test result. Outcomes were calculated for testing sites with different HIV prevalences and aggregated to project the impact of using the rapid test algorithm for all publicly-funded HIV testing in the U.S.

RESULTS: From the 2,112,270 publicly funded HIV tests performed in 1995. 7,874 (28%) more HIV positive persons and 581,308 (42%) more HIV negative persons would have learned their results using the rapid test algorithm. False-positive rapid tests results would have been given to 10,376 (0.4% of those tested). Of these, most (93%) would have returned to learn they were truly HIV negative after confirmatory testing.

CONCLUSIONS: Evidence suggests that changing the USPHS recommendation against giving results from HIV screening tests before confirmation and wider use of rapid HIV tests will substantially increase the number of persons receiving both positive and negative HIV tests results. Such a step warrants a comprehensive reconsideration of the current algorithm for HIV testing.

Keywords: AEGIS, HIV, HIV Infections, HIV Seropositivity, HIV Antibodies, HIV Seroprevalence, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.), Mass Screening, Costs and Cost Analysis, Algorithms, United States, Human, economics, AIDSKWDaegis,hiv,hivinfections,hivseropositivity,hivantibodies,hivseroprevalence,centersfordiseasecontrolandprevention(uKWDsKWD),massscreening,costsandcostanalysis,algorithms,unitedstates,human,economics,aids

1998-02-01
S13

Copyright © 1998 - Foundation for Retrovirology and Human Health (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Foundation for Retrovirology and Human Health. Licensed from National Library of Medicine.