Creating and Implementing Wisconsin's First Emergency Department-Based Universal Opt-Out HIV Testing Program.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends routine HIV screening for individuals aged 13-64.
• Improving patient health outcomes through proactive screening is a key public health objective.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a universal HIV screening program in emergency departments.
• To assess the effectiveness of an opt-out screening approach for HIV detection and linkage to care.

Main Methods:

• Universal opt-out HIV screening was introduced across 7 emergency departments in southeastern Wisconsin.
• The program included robust systems for linking newly diagnosed individuals to essential HIV medical care.

Main Results:

• Over the first year, 57,965 patients were screened, with 24,417 (42.4%) not opting out of testing.
• A total of 12,406 HIV tests were conducted, identifying 23 new HIV cases.
• Of those diagnosed, 96% were successfully linked to HIV medical care.

Conclusions:

• The emergency department opt-out HIV screening initiative successfully identified new HIV cases.
• The program achieved a high rate of linkage to care for individuals newly diagnosed with HIV, underscoring its public health impact.