National HIV Prevention Conference Atlanta, Georgia, USA — July 27 - 30, 2003

Natl HIV Prev Conf 2003 July 27-30:abstract no. M1-D0103
Sykes DL
California Office of AIDS, Sacramento, CA

ISSUE: Because results from traditional laboratory-based HIV antibody tests are not available until a week or two later, many people testing for HIV do not receive their results. Annually in California, more than 600 HIV-infected people fail to return for their test results. Consequently, they do not find out their HIV status, they do not receive counseling regarding ways to avoid infecting others, and they do not receive referrals to needed medical services.

SETTING: Publicly-funded counseling and testing venues throughout California, including clinics, community based organizations, and mobile testing units.

PROJECT: California Office of AIDS (OA) is piloting new testing technology that will eliminate the problem of clients' failure to receive their test results. OraQuick is a 20-minute test that uses a single drop of fingerstick blood to determine whether someone is infected with HIV. The test is easy to operate and read, and can be used by HIV counselors and medical staff such as nurses in clinics and other sites where people test for HIV. Using this new testing technology allows HIV counselors to provide counseling and deliver test results during the same visit, eliminating the need for people to return to the clinic to receive their results.

RESULTS: On the basis of this pilot project, standardized protocols and guidelines, including quality assurance procedures, are being developed and disseminated to all OA-funded testing sites in California that utilize this new technology. The emphasis for this project is to examine ways to enhance the effectiveness of counseling in a single-session visit, and ways to ensure that the OraQuick tests are performed accurately every time.

LESSONS LEARNED: This technology represents a significant advancement in the arsenal of tools available for HIV prevention efforts. Given that more than 600 positive test results go undelivered every year in California, the widespread use of this technology will result in a significant improvement in the provision of HIV prevention and care services. Care must be taken to develop and integrate training and quality assurance protocols that are practical and effective in diverse counseling and testing settings in order to ensure the maximum benefit of rapid HIV testing.

030727
M1-D0103

Copyright notice: The National HIV Prevention Conference is collaborative effort by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a U.S. Government agency and other governmental and non-government organizations. All abstracts published in by the conference organizers are in the public domain and can be used without permission. Proper citation, however, is required.