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Anonymous HIV testing using home collection and telemedicine counseling. A multicenter evaluation
A P Frank1, M G Wandell, M D Headings
1Department of Medicine, Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago, USA.
Archives of Internal Medicine
|February 10, 1997
Summary
Home HIV-1 testing kits are a safe and effective alternative to traditional testing. These kits offer 100% accuracy and can be used with telephone counseling for anonymous results.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
- Diagnostic Testing
Background:
- Home human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing is proposed as an alternative to conventional methods.
- Concerns regarding HIV type 1 (HIV-1) home test systems have not been extensively studied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Home Access Health Corp HIV-1 test system.
- Comparison with traditional HIV-1 testing using venous blood samples.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, blinded, subject-as-control study of 1255 subjects at 9 outpatient clinics.
- Subjects used home collection kits for finger-stick blood spot samples after telephone pretest counseling.
- Comparison of subject-collected samples with professionally drawn venous samples for accuracy and adequacy.
Main Results:
- 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity for home-collected samples compared to venous samples.
- 98% of subjects successfully obtained testable blood spot specimens.
- No significant adverse events reported; 96% correct answers on HIV risk questions post-counseling.
Conclusions:
- Anonymous HIV-1 home collection kits with telephone counseling are a safe and effective alternative.
- Supports the use of home-based testing for HIV-1 antibody detection.