HIV testing in people at higher risk of infection did not increase between 1994 and 2004, despite specific recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to a new study presented at the 2007 National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta.
Roland Merchant, MD, MPH, from Brown Medical School in Providence, Rhode Island, and his colleague examined records from national databases of emergency-department visits for the years spanning 1993 to 2004. Specifically, Dr. Merchant sought to determine the rate of HIV testing in three groups of people where the CDC advocates screening—those exposed to blood or body fluids, cases of sexual assault and people with sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
A total of 790 million emergency-department visits were recorded for adults and adolescents between 1993 and 2004. There were no clear trends in HIV testing rates over the 11 years. HIV testing rates were highest in 1994 and 2004, when approximately 53 percent of those who should have been tested were screened for the infection, and lowest in 1995 when only 22 percent got tested. Testing rates were slightly higher in women, Hispanics, African Americans and people without private health insurance.
Source:
Merchant RC, Catanzaro BM. HIV diagnostic testing in U.S. emergency departments, 1993-2004 [Abstract B15-3]. 2007 National HIV Prevention Conference, Atlanta, 2007.
NEW! Scroll down to comment on this story.
Please click OK to confirm your comment and confirm you accept our posting rules. Note your message will be reviewed by our staff before going live.
Previous Comments:
comments 1 - 1 (of 1 total)
rob, Syracuse, 2007-12-05 14:00:18
Was admitted with intestinal infections and very ill. the nest day a blood hiv test was taken. 3 days later when i was dischagred results was not availalbe. Was not told i was poz till a month later do to an recording error by an intern. inn this time I infected my partner. They do not do oral test because it is more expensive. if they had my partner would not now be poz.
Beth Benne, RN, is HIV negative, but
the virus has impacted her life. She currently supervises a biannual HIV/AIDS awareness week as
the director of the student health center at Pierce College, a
community commuter school in Woodland Hills, California.
Woman of the Month is supported by exclusive advertising from Gilead.
Overheard in the Women's Forum
"I recently met a guy who is negative. I did tell him about my status and he decided to kiss me anyway (we didn't go further than that). But a day later, he called and said that he actually had a mouth ulcer that time when we kissed and he was very worried. Asked if he can get the virus from me that way. For that moment, I felt so insulted and yet I felt so bad. It was my first time having a contact with a "negative" guy."
