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
. 2020 Jul 6;20(1):1066.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09170-x.

The impact of HIV knowledge and attitudes on HIV testing acceptance among patients in an emergency department in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Sofia Ryan  1 , Elizabeth Hahn  2 , Aditi Rao  2 , George Mwinnyaa  2   3 , John Black  4   5 , Roshen Maharaj  6 , Nomzamo Mvandaba  5 , Yandisa Nyanisa  5 , Thomas C Quinn  7   3 , Bhakti Hansoti  7
Affiliations

The impact of HIV knowledge and attitudes on HIV testing acceptance among patients in an emergency department in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Sofia Ryan et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Transmission of HIV in South Africa continues to be high due to a large proportion of individuals living with undiagnosed HIV. Uptake of HIV testing is influenced by a multitude of factors including the patient's knowledge and beliefs about HIV.

Methods: This study sought to quantify the impact of knowledge and attitudes on HIV testing acceptance in an emergency department by co-administering a validated HIV knowledge and attitudes survey to patients who were subsequently offered HIV testing.

Results: During the study period 223 patients were interviewed and offered HIV testing. Individuals reporting more negative overall attitudes (p = 0.006), higher levels of stigma to HIV testing (p < 0.001), and individuals who believed their test was confidential (p < 0.001) were more likely to accept an HIV test.

Conclusions: Interventions focused on improving patient perceptions around testing confidentiality will likely have the greatest impact on testing acceptance in the emergency department.

Keywords: Emergency departments; HIV attitudes; HIV knowledge; HIV testing; Testing acceptance.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
HIV Knowledge and Attitudes Survey
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hall HI, Holtgrave DR, Maulsby C. HIV transmission rates from persons living with HIV who are aware and unaware of their infection. AIDS. 2012;26(7):893–896. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0b013e328351f73f. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Joint United Nations Programme on, HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) No title. 90–90-90—an ambitious treatment target to help end the AIDS epidemic. Geneva: UNAIDS; 2014; 2017.
    1. Wainberg MA, Hull MW, Girard P, Montaner JS. Achieving the 90–90–90 target: incentives for HIV testing. Lancet Infect Dis. 2016;16(11):1215–1216. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(16)30383-8. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Department of Health. NATIONAL HIV COUNSELLING AND TESTING POLICY GUIDELINES. 2015 May. Retrieved from: https://aidsfree.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/hts_south_africa_2015.pdf.
    1. Department of Basic Education . Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement, Grades 10–12: Life Orientation. 2011.

MeSH terms