Enhancing Routine HIV Testing in Primary Care With a Continuing Education Intervention.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Medical Education
• Infectious Disease Prevention

Background:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines recommend routine HIV screening for ages 13-64 in primary care.
• Barriers exist for primary care providers (PCPs) in adhering to these routine HIV screening recommendations.
• Current HIV testing practices often rely on individual risk factors rather than routine screening.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess barriers PCPs face in implementing routine HIV screening.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of an adapted continuing education program in increasing PCP intentions for routine HIV testing.

Main Methods:

• A pre-postintervention study design was employed.
• 11 PCPs participated in an assessment of their identified barriers to HIV screening.
• An evidence-based continuing education program was tailored to address these specific barriers.

Main Results:

• PCPs initially used risk-based criteria for HIV testing.
• The continuing education program significantly increased PCPs' intentions to perform routine HIV testing.
• Increased intentions were noted for incorporating HIV testing into annual wellness exams and new patient visits.

Conclusions:

• Continuing education programs can effectively address PCP barriers to routine HIV screening.
• Interventions targeting identified barriers can improve adherence to CDC HIV testing recommendations.
• Study findings support quality improvement initiatives and policy changes to enhance HIV screening in primary care settings.