Use of Vending Machines to Deliver Oral Rapid HIV Self-Tests to Veterans: Protocol for a Pilot Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

California has the largest number of people living with HIV in the United States, and in 2022, there were 4882 new diagnoses. Veterans with histories of substance use, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, and homelessness carry substantial HIV burden. Testing is essential, yet approximately 12% of Californians with HIV were undiagnosed in 2020, and 50% of veterans in care had never been tested as of 2023. HIV self-tests (HIVSTs) can mitigate stigma, confidentiality, and access barriers, and vending machines (VMs) offer private, convenient distribution. However, the use of VM-dispensed HIVST has not been evaluated for veterans or within Veterans Affairs (VA) settings.

Objective

We describe a Reach, Evaluation, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance-

SUBMITTER: Rife-Pennington T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12855721 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature