AEGiS-14IAC: On-site HIV testing in residential drug treatment programs: results from a nationwide United States survey.

14th International AIDS Conference


Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

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On-site HIV testing in residential drug treatment programs: results from a nationwide United States survey.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. ThOrD1400)

Strauss SM, Jarlais DC, Vassilev ZP, Astone J
NDRI, New York, United States

BACKGROUND: Drug treatment programs are uniquely situated to provide drug users with HIV counseling and testing, but not all types of programs make testing available to their patients. While some organizational and institutional factors associated with HIV counseling and testing in outpatient drug treatment programs have been identified, the research involving residential treatment units has been quite limited. This study identifies program characteristics that differentiate residential treatment programs in the U.S. that make HIV testing available to their patients on-site (47.8%) and those that do not (52.2%).

METHOD: The analyses involve t-tests and chi-square analyses, and use data collected in telephone interviews with program managers in a random nationwide U.S. sample (N=136) of residential drug treatment programs.

RESULTS: Residential programs having a greater number of staff that provide direct patient services are significantly more likely to make HIV testing available to their patients on-site. Programs having a medical orientation are also significantly more likely to provide on-site HIV testing. In particular, programs that provide this testing are significantly more likely to (1) be operated by a hospital; (2) view their agency as being their patients' primary medical provider; (3) provide patients with medical care either on-site or at another part of the agency; and (4) have medical staff either on-site or at another part of the agency.

CONCLUSIONS: In view of the critical importance of HIV testing in this population, the ready availability of training in HIV counseling in most U.S. cities, and the availability of a simplified testing protocol involving saliva samples (eliminating the need for phlebotomy), programs that do not have a medical orientation need to be encouraged to make HIV testing available in their programs.

Keywords: AEGIS, HIV Infections, Residential Treatment, Research Design, United States, Counseling, HIV Seropositivity, Community Health Services, Interviews, HumanKWDaegis,hivinfections,residentialtreatment,researchdesign,unitedstates,counseling,hivseropositivity,communityhealthservices,interviews,human

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Copyright © 2002 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.