November 2, 2009

Study: HIV Self-Tests Are Highly Accurate, Easy to Understand

By following basic written instructions and using a standard HIV testing kit, people can self-administer the test with the same accuracy as a health care professional, according to a study from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore as reported by Science News.

For the study, 402 people self-tested while waiting for care at an emergency room. They were given clear instructions, used pinprick or mouth swabs to collect blood or saliva samples and placed the samples in a tub. Participants received their positive or negative results in about 20 minutes, and they reported having no difficulty understanding them.

According to Charlotte Gaydos, a Johns Hopkins clinical microbiologist, participants used the same HIV testing kits health care workers use for routine testing.

To measure self-testing accuracy, hospital officials administered their own tests and found the self-testing results matched the hospital workers’ test in 400 out of 402 cases. 

According to the article, 2 to 13 percent of people seeking emergency room care are HIV positive. More than 90 percent of people offered the self-test in the study agreed to take it.

Gaydos said that while more studies on the topic are needed, self-tests could receive regulatory approval and become as routine as take-home pregnancy tests.

Search: self-test, Johns Hopkins University, emergency room, take-home, pregnancy

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Previous Comments:

Massey, D.C, 2009-11-10 09:36:38
Nearly 15 years have passed since women in Africa have be using Rapid HIV screening kits during the Clinton Adminisration. Mr Clinton's

DrTeddy, san Francisco, 2009-11-02 17:24:53
This is very important especially for African Americans, who donot have access to testing services for many reasons including stigma and mistrust of the system. People should be given a chance to take responsible measures bythemselves instead of always thinking that they need counselor to get tested. It also helps couples make decisions between themselves without having to come out to the public. It can even be used presex, instead of trusting disclosure, why not test before testing the fruit!