Do No Harm: A Review of Social Harms Associated with HIV Partner Notification

HIV partner notification services (PNS) are highly effective in identifying people living with HIV, but the complex risks and repercussions associated with HIV testing and disclosure must be examined. The benefits of assisting people to learn their HIV status and link with treatment or prevention based on their results must be considered alongside the risks of adverse events or social harms.

The study team systematically searched the PubMed, EBSCO, and Web of Science electronic databases (2015-2021), as well as abstracts from the International AIDS Society Conference (2016-2020) and the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (2015-2020). Fifteen studies and 1 conference abstract met the inclusion criteria for this narrative review.

Incidence of social harms across studies ranged from 0%-6.3%, with the higher range occurring among women with a previous history of intimate partner violence (IPV). The majority of the studies (69%) reported that less than or equal to 1% of participants experienced social harms as a result of PNS. Social harms included relationship dissolution, IPV, and loss of financial support.

Evidence from a limited set of studies suggests that although social harms associated with HIV partner notification do occur, they are rare. Considering the rapid global scale-up of PNS, additional research and oversight are needed to provide countries with recommended minimum standards to support providers, clients, and their partners with safe partner notification.