Client Satisfaction with Rapid HIV Testing: Comparison Between an Urban Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic and a Community-Based Testing Center

Abstract

Rapid HIV testing allows same-day results, increasing the number of persons who learn their HIV status. Understanding how clients in different settings perceive rapid testing may increase acceptance of this technology. From June 1999 to August 2001 we interviewed 256 clients at a publicly funded urban sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic and 1201 clients at a community- based HIV counseling, testing, and referral center (Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center; LAGLC) about their posttest satisfaction with rapid HIV testing. HIV prevalence was 3.9% at the STD clinic and 5.3% at the LAGLC. In multivariate analysis, adjusting for age, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, history of STDs, self-perceived HIV risk, prior HIV test and HIV testing results, clients at the STD clinics (versus LAGLC) were more likely to find testing stressful (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.75, 95% confidence limits [CL]: 1.27, 2.42) and feel that they received their results too quickly (AOR: 2.05, 95% CL: 1.39, 3.03). Latinos (versus whites) were more likely to report that they received their results too quickly (AOR: 4.99, 95% CL: 3.48, 7.14) and that it would be better to wait a week for HIV test results (AOR: 2.48, 95% CL: 1.51, 4.09). Further research may elucidate the reasons why some groups prefer to wait for results, and enable policymakers to better design strategies to reach high-risk groups with rapid HIV testing.

Feasibility and acceptability of rapid HIV test screening (DEPIVIH) by French family physicians

“…More than 90% would recommend its use to their relatives and prefer obtaining results immediately. These rates correlate to the ones published by Smith et al in a Californian STD center and of the community screening center (97% of patients would recommend the rapid test to a friend, 88% prefer obtaining results on the same day) [18].…”

Choice of Rapid HIV Testing and Entrance Into Care in Baltimore City Sexually Transmitted Infections Clinics

“…3,13,14 Conversely, some patients have said that POS testing decreases anxiety because it keeps them from having to wait for results 3 and they preferred the convenience of not needing to return to clinic. [13][14][15] While it has been suggested that requiring phlebotomy decreases HIV testing acceptance, especially among injection drug users (IDU) and others for whom venipuncture would be difficult, 16 when oral and whole-blood rapid HIV testing was offered in an emergency department on alternate days, there was no difference in testing acceptance. 17 However, in our clinic and other STI clinics, it is standard practice to use phlebotomy to screen for syphilis, so oral testing modalities offer less of an advantage.…”

Rapid Point-of-Care HIV Testing in Community-Based Anonymous Testing Program: A Valuable Alternative to Conventional Testing

“…A number of studies have suggested that these outcomes are indeed improved in settings such as sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics, community agencies, mobile clinics and jails. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] None of these studies has been carried out in Canada. There are also important concerns about rapid HIV testing.…”