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Observational Study
. 2015 Apr 7;10(4):e0120810.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120810. eCollection 2015.

Home sampling for sexually transmitted infections and HIV in men who have sex with men: a prospective observational study

Martin Fisher  1 , Sonali Wayal  2 , Helen Smith  2 , Carrie Llewellyn  2 , Sarah Alexander  3 , Catherine Ison  3 , John V Parry  3 , Garth Singleton  4 , Nicky Perry  1 , Daniel Richardson  1 ; Brighton Home Sampling Kit Project Steering Group
Affiliations
Observational Study

Home sampling for sexually transmitted infections and HIV in men who have sex with men: a prospective observational study

Martin Fisher et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

To determine uptake of home sampling kit (HSK) for STI/HIV compared to clinic-based testing, whether the availability of HSK would increase STI testing rates amongst HIV infected MSM, and those attending a community-based HIV testing clinic compared to historical control. Prospective observational study in three facilities providing STI/HIV testing services in Brighton, UK was conducted. Adult MSM attending/contacting a GUM clinic requesting an STI screen (group 1), HIV infected MSM attending routine outpatient clinic (group 2), and MSM attending a community-based rapid HIV testing service (group 3) were eligible. Participants were required to have no symptomatology consistent with STI and known to be immune to hepatitis A and B (group 1). Eligible men were offered a HSK to obtain self-collected specimens as an alternative to routine testing. HSK uptake compared to conventional clinic-based STI/HIV testing in group 1, increase in STI testing rates due to availability of HSK compared to historical controls in group 2 and 3, and HSK return rates in all settings were calculated. Among the 128 eligible men in group 1, HSK acceptance was higher (62.5% (95% CI: 53.5-70.9)) compared to GUM clinic-based testing (37.5% (95% CI: 29.1-46.5)), (p = 0.0004). Two thirds of eligible MSM offered an HSK in all three groups accepted it, but HSK return rates varied (highest in group 1, 77.5%, lowest in group 3, 16%). HSK for HIV testing was acceptable to 81% of men in group 1. Compared to historical controls, availability of HSK increased the proportion of MSM testing for STIs in group 2 but not in group 3. HSK for STI/HIV offers an alternative to conventional clinic-based testing for MSM seeking STI screening. It significantly increases STI testing uptake in HIV infected MSM. HSK could be considered as an adjunct to clinic-based services to further improve STI/HIV testing in MSM.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form at http://www.icmje.org/coi_disclosure.pdf and declare: that APTIMA unisex swabs were provided free of costs by Gen-Probe (San Diego, California, USA). The findings reported in this study do not reflect the opinion of Gen-Probe. This does not alter the authors' adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. No financial relationships with any organisations that might have an interest in the submitted work in the previous three years, no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Contents of the home sampling kits.
Fig 2
Fig 2. HSK uptake and return in all the study sites.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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