Comparison of self-reported HIV testing data with medical records data in Houston, TX 2012-2013

To assess the agreement between self-reported and medical record data on HIV status and dates of first positive and last negative HIV tests.

Participants were recruited from patients attending Houston health clinics during 2012-2013. Self-reported data were collected using a questionnaire and compared with medical record data. Agreement of HIV status was assessed using kappa statistics and of HIV test dates using concordance correlation coefficient. The extent of difference between self-reported and medical record test dates was determined.

Agreement between self-reported and medical record data was good on HIV status and date of first positive HIV test, but poor on date of last negative HIV test. About half of participants that self-reported never tested had HIV test results in medical records. Agreement varied by sex, race and/or ethnicity, and medical care facility. For HIV-positive persons, more self-reported first positive HIV test dates preceded medical record dates, with a median difference of 6 months. For HIV-negative persons, more medical record dates of last negative HIV test preceded self-reported dates, with a median difference of 2 months.

Studies relying on self-reported HIV status other than HIV positive and self-reported date of last negative should consider including information from additional sources to validate the self-reported data.