Abstract:ObjectivesThe 2008 UK National Guidelines for HIV testing recommended HIV testing should be offered to all general medical admissions aged 16–60 years in high prevalence areas, and that this should be evaluated to ensure this was effective in diagnosing previously undiagnosed HIV.MethodsHIV testing was introduced as a routine test for all patients admitted to the acute medical admissions unit, comparisons were made between the testing rates before, during and after this intervention.ResultsThe pilot was initia… Show more
“…Similar reported initiatives in MAU across the UK have also had mixed success with uptake of HIV testing ranging from 22% in Northern England3 to 28% and 32.5% in other London MAU's 4 5. This is in contrast to routine HIV testing in other areas of our own hospital, where better testing rates have been seen in the emergency department (30% uptake)6 and critical care department (52%) 7.…”
“…Similar reported initiatives in MAU across the UK have also had mixed success with uptake of HIV testing ranging from 22% in Northern England3 to 28% and 32.5% in other London MAU's 4 5. This is in contrast to routine HIV testing in other areas of our own hospital, where better testing rates have been seen in the emergency department (30% uptake)6 and critical care department (52%) 7.…”
“…Availability of counselling or a pathway to refer discharged patients for outside counselling and testing should be routinely provided in all emergency departments in order to detect HIV infection early . If available, an acute admissions unit could provide timely in‐house testing without the use of extra resources , but a recent UK audit showed inadequate testing even after introduction of simplified guidelines, particularly in patients with shorter hospital stays and in patients not seen by an infectious disease specialist .…”
Indicator conditions are still missed by clinicians. Women and 'non-MSM' are at highest risk of presenting with an indicator condition but not being tested for HIV infection.
“…However, in one hospital-based study, the offer rate to eligible persons was only 6-22%. 18 In another hospital study, failure to offer a test to all patients resulted in 67% of those with HIV remaining undiagnosed. 17 It appears that the test offer was frequently targeted and not routinely applied.…”
Section: Comparison With Existing Literaturementioning
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