High patient acceptability but low coverage of provider-initiated HIV testing among adult outpatients with symptoms of acute infectious illness in coastal Kenya.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Only approximately one in five adults are offered HIV testing by providers when seeking care for symptoms of acute illness in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our aims were to estimate testing coverage and identify predictors of provider-initiated testing and counselling (PITC) and barriers to PITC implementation in this population.

Methods

We assessed HIV testing coverage among adult outpatients 18-39 years of age at four public and two private health facilities in coastal Kenya, during a 3- to 6-month surveillance period at each facility. A subset of patients who reported symptoms including fever, diarrhoea, fatigue, body aches, sore throat or genital ulcers were enrolled to complete a questionnaire independently of PITC offer. We assessed predictors of PITC in this populati

SUBMITTER: Agutu CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7864413 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature