Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Oct 1;46(2):181-6.
doi: 10.1097/QAI.0b013e31814277c8.

Routine voluntary HIV testing in Durban, South Africa: the experience from an outpatient department

Ingrid V Bassett  1 , Janet Giddy, Jacques Nkera, Bingxia Wang, Elena Losina, Zhigang Lu, Kenneth A Freedberg, Rochelle P Walensky
Affiliations

Routine voluntary HIV testing in Durban, South Africa: the experience from an outpatient department

Ingrid V Bassett et al. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. .

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the yield of a routine voluntary HIV testing program compared with traditional provider-referred voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) in a hospital-affiliated outpatient department (OPD) in Durban, South Africa.

Design and methods: In a prospective 14-week "standard of care" period, we compared OPD physician logs documenting patient referrals to the hospital VCT site with HIV test registers to measure patient completion of HIV test referral. The standard of care period was followed by a 12-week intervention during which all patients who registered at the OPD were given an educational intervention and offered a rapid HIV test at no charge as part of routine care.

Results: During the standard of care period, OPD physicians referred 435 patients aged > or = 18 years for HIV testing; 137 (31.5%) of the referred patients completed testing at the VCT site within 4 weeks. Among those tested, 102 (74.5%) were HIV infected. During the intervention period, 1414 adults accepted HIV testing and 1498 declined. Of those tested, 463 (32.7%, 95% confidence interval: 30.3 to 35.3) were HIV infected. Routine HIV testing in the OPD identified 39 new HIV cases per week compared with 8 new cases per week with standard of care testing based on physician referral to a VCT site (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions: Routine voluntary HIV testing in an OPD in South Africa leads to significantly higher rates of detection of HIV disease. This strategy should be implemented more widely in high HIV prevalence areas where treatment is available.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS/World Health Organization. AIDS epidemic update, December 2005. [Accessed February 12, 2006]. Available at: http://www.unaids.org/epi/2005/doc/report_pdf.asp.
    1. Makubato L, Netshidzivhani P, Mahlasela L, et al. National HIV and Syphilis Antenatal Seroprevalence Survey in South Africa, 2003. [Accessed February 12, 2006]. Available at: http://www.doh.gov.za/docs/2003hiv-f.html.
    1. Baleta A. South Africa approves plan for universal access to antiretrovirals. Government also pledges to upgrade health system via recruitment and training of many health-care workers. Lancet. 2003;362:1811. - PubMed
    1. Mbewu A, Simelela N. Operational plan for comprehensive HIV and AIDS care. Management and treatment for South Africa. November 192003. [Accessed February 12, 2006]. Available at: http://www.info.gov.za/issues/hiv/careplan.htm.
    1. Reagon G, James I, Levin J. The National Primary Health Care Facilities Survey, 2003. Health Systems Trust. [Accessed February 12, 2006]. Available at: http://www.hst.org.za/uploads/files/phc_survey04.pdf.

Publication types