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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Roland C. Merchant, MD, MPH, Emergency Medicine and Community Health, Brown Medical School, Rhode Island Hospital, 593 Eddy Street, Providence, RI 02903, (401) 444-5109, rmerchant@lifespan.org, Erin Gee, BA, Emergency Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, 593 Eddy Street, Providence, RI 02903, George Seage, ScD, MPH, Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, Kenneth H. Mayer, MD, Infectious Diseases, Brown University/The Miriam Hospital/Fenway Community Health, 164 Summit Avenue, Providence, RI 02906, Melissa Clark, PhD, Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research, Brown University, Box G-H1, Providence, RI 02912, and Victor Degruttola, ScD, Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115.

Objectives: Two studies were conducted to determine if patient comprehension of pre-test information on rapid HIV testing improves depending upon the information delivery format.

Methods: Patients were enrolled at a US emergency department February 2005-January 2006. In Study 1, patients were randomized to a no pre-test information or an in-person discussion arm. In Study 2, different patients were randomized to an in-person discussion or a Tablet PC-based video arm. The animated video and the in-person discussion contained identical CDC-suggested pre-test information and information on rapid HIV testing with OraQuick®. Using a t-test, participants were compared on their comprehension of the pre-test information by their score on a 26-item questionnaire.

Results: In Study 1, 38 patients completed the no-information and 31 completed the in-person discussion arms. 53.6% were male, 60.9% white, and 65.1% had £12 years of formal education. The mean score on the questionnaire for the in-person discussion group was higher than for the no information group (18.7 vs. 13.3, p<0.0001). In Study 2, 59 patients completed the in-person discussion and 52 completed the video arms. 54.1% were male, 69.3% white, and 49.6% had £12 years of formal education. The mean score on the questionnaire for the video group was higher than the in-person discussion group (20.4 vs. 19.2 p<0.04).

Conclusions: The animated video presentation was an acceptable substitute for an in-person discussion on rapid HIV testing with OraQuick®. In terms of adequately informing patients about rapid HIV testing, either form of pre-test information was preferable than no information.

Learning Objectives:

• Present the challenges in providing adequate information about rapid HIV testing to patients in non-traditional testing settings, such as emergency departments.
• Explain the study findings of improved patient comprehension of rapid HIV testing fundamentals with the use of an animated video presentation.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered