Recorded presentation

Gale Burstein, MD, MPH, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention - S&E, NCHSTP, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, MS E-46, Atlanta, GA 30333, 404-639-3289, gale.burstein@cdc.hhs.gov and Bernard Branson, MD, CDC, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 60333.

Rationale and Background: A key strategy of CDC’s Advancing HIV Prevention Initiative is to expand HIV rapid testing within and outside traditional clinical settings. The OraQuick Rapid HIV-1 antibody test is highly sensitive and specific, easy to use on finger stick blood specimens, and can provide test results in 20 minutes. OraQuick offers opportunitites for innovative HIV testing strategies and increasing receipt of results. However, some challenges have been identified that can slow the adoption of rapid HIV testing.

Objectives: (1) To describe challenges and opportunities of OraQuick implementation identifies through CDC’s Postmarketing Surveillance of the OraQuick Rapid HIV antibody test; (2) To present initial findings on the utilization, acceptability and performance of the OraQuick rapid test in HIV counseling and testing programs.

Content: Investigators will present challenges faced in the first sites that initiated rapid HIV testing during implementation of the program, including setting up training and quality assurance programs, and unexpected challenges encountered from state regulatory agencies and HIV counselors. In addition, the investigator will present findings from roll-out of rapid HIV testing programs on test utilization, acceptance by patients and counselors, and will compare HIV prevalence, receipt of results, and linkages into medical care and partner notification services with standard and oral fluid testing. Follow-up on seroconverting patients with a positive OraQuick but non-reactive HIV ELISA and/or negative IFA or Western Blot results, and qualitative reports of patients’ reactions to preliminary positive rapid test and discordant confirmatory tests will also be presented.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will be able to describe challenges they should anticipate when implementing rapid HIV testing and how to address them.
• Participants will be able to list advantages to offering a rapid HIV test as part of an HIV counseling and testing program.
• Participants will be able to describe appropriate counseling messages for different types of rapid HIV test results.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Community Preventive Services

Related Web page: www.cdc.gov/hiv/dhap.htm

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: OraQuick Rapid HIV-1 antibody test
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation