Promoting the uptake of HIV testing among men who have sex with men: systematic review of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness

Abstract

Lorenc, T; Marrero, I; Llewellyn, A; Cooper, C; Lehmann, A; Lindsay, C; Aggleton, P (2010) Promoting the uptake of HIV testing among men who have sex with men (MSM): systematic reviews of effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and qualitative evidence. Technical Report. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, London.

2016 United Kingdom national guideline on the sexual health care of men who have sex with men

“…care testing (PoCT) and counselling in community outreach settings (not including general practice) increased uptake of HIV testing in MSM (22). Point of care testing (PoCT) in community settings identified HIV infection in MSM at a significantly earlier stage than in GUM clinics (193) although whether this is attributable to the test or the setting is not clear.…”

“…Learning of HIV infection in a partner or friends and peer encouragement to test are also cited as reasons to attend whereas fear of a positive result and not self-assessing as 'at risk' are given as the main reason for not or never testing (199). Intensive peer counselling also increased the uptake of testing (22). Alternative community venues (200) are used for on-site testing including gay saunas (201), event-related outreach (40), and college-based testing (202).…”

“…Improving rates of testing for those with indicator conditions, routine testing in general practice and in acute medical admissions are all likely to improve late diagnosis in MSM in areas with higher overall HIV prevalence. Opt-out testing is the appropriate approach for MSM in all settings (22) and is recommended in existing UK HIV Testing Guidelines (191) and NICE Guidance (192), both of which are currently being updated. In all cases, identifying MSM in general medical services and general practice is key to routine testing in this group (Section 1.1.2) and will be particularly important in areas with lower overall HIV prevalence where universal approaches are not adopted and where existing evidence shows rates of late diagnosis to be higher (2).…”

Sex, germs, and health: pathogen-avoidance motives and health-protective behaviour

“…Albarracín, Johnson, Fishbein, & Muellerleile, 2001;Bryan, Aiken, & West, 1996) and post-coital prophylactic behaviours, such as screening for STI (e.g. Lorenc et al, 2011;Mevissen, Ruiter, Meertens, Zimbile, & Schaalma, 2011). Despite progress in our understanding of the determinants of health-protective behaviours, the consequences of infectious disease remain a significant problem.…”

Community-Based Rapid HIV Testing in Brazil for Vulnerable Populations: Whom are We Reaching?

“…Peer outreach activities have demonstrated to be effective in some countries, and income levels have increased the usage of HIV testing among key populations, such as MSM and individuals engaged in SW. Moreover, HIV testing can reach hard-to-reach populations that previously have not had access [14][15][16].…”