Optimizing HIV testing services in sub-Saharan Africa: cost and performance of verification testing with HIV self-tests and tests for triage.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Strategies employing a single rapid diagnostic test (RDT) such as HIV self-testing (HIVST) or "test for triage" (T4T) are proposed to increase HIV testing programme impact. Current guidelines recommend serial testing with two or three RDTs for HIV diagnosis, followed by retesting with the same algorithm to verify HIV-positive status before anti-retroviral therapy (ART) initiation. We investigated whether clients presenting to HIV testing services (HTS) following a single reactive RDT must undergo the diagnostic algorithm twice to diagnose and verify HIV-positive status, or whether a diagnosis with the setting-specific algorithm is adequate for ART initiation.

Methods

We calculated (1) expected number of false-positive (FP) misclassifications per 10,000 HIV negat

SUBMITTER: Eaton JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6545556 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature