World Health Organization. HIV assays: laboratory performance and other operational characteristics: rapid diagnostic tests (combined detection of HIV-1/2 antibodies and discriminatory detection of HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies): report 18.2015. The delay to obtain a positive result following fluid collection was measured using a chronometer and recorded for each patient. The result was always read at the time recommended by the manufacturer. Because of the possibility that a positive result from a single HIV test is, in fact, a false positive, the result is described as 'reactive' rather than 'positive'. If the result is reactive, this indicates that the test has reacted to something in the blood and needs to be investigated with follow-up tests. Marc Donovan, Chief Pharmacist, Boots UK, says: “Community pharmacy is well placed to support patients to manage their own health and we can play a much bigger role in supporting the health of our customers through the delivery of new products, services and advice. In people who are taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). If you acquire HIV, you may have a delayed antibody response, extending the window period.

Double data entry was administered to enter data from paper-based questionnaires, using the KoboToolbox application and EpiData version 3.1. Data were converted to SPSS software version 22.0 for analysis, and they were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariable regression models ( S1 Data, S2 Data, S3 Data and S4 Data). Variables found to be statistically significant (p-value <0.05) were included in the multivariable logistic regression. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors independently associated with successful completion of HIVST. The results of the analysis are presented as adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and interpreted as the odds of successful completion of the self-test among lay users who were exposed or not exposed to the associated factor. Variables included in the multivariable logistic regression analysis were age, sex, education, employment, ever HIV tested, and type of blood-based HIVST kit. The successful completion of self-testing was calculated as the percentage of participants that correctly performed key steps and obtained an interpretable result. The tests that failed to produce a control line were identified as INVALID and reported as failure. Is an HIV Self Test the right choice for me? HIV self-testing is another testing choice and puts you in control. You may want to talk to someone before performing your HIV test or have someone with you while you do. Also consider what you are going to do when you get your result - whether positive or negative. It is always your choice. We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the usability and performance of blood-based HIVST. The primary outcomes of interest were the usability, acceptability, feasibility, and accuracy of blood-based HIVST kits in the hands of unassisted lay users. Usability was defined as the number and percentage of participants who completed all testing steps correctly without assistance and interpreted the results correctly. Acceptability was measured through acceptance of HIVST, willingness to recommend the test, desire to use the test in the future, preference for use of the test, and WTP for HIVST. Feasibility was measured by the ability of lay users to correctly use the self-test, succeed in obtaining an interpretable result, and correctly interpret the results. Accuracy was estimated by the sensitivity and specificity of HIVST kits compared to the gold standard enzyme immunoassay (EIA) or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test (i.e., Murex HIV Ag/Ab Combination).

Head office

HIV self-testing involves collecting your own specimen (oral fluid or blood) and using a rapid HIV test kit. You perform the whole test yourself, including reading and interpreting the test result. Self-tests are usually reliable for long-standing infections, but are sometimes unable to detect recent HIV infections acquired in the past few weeks. Indicates products intended for use by both professional healthcare and untrained lay users at POC setting. ** Indicates products intended for use by healthcare professionals at POC setting. -Indicates products under development or research purposes only. Livant E et al. The fourth generation Alere™ HIV Combo rapid test improves detection of acute infection in MTN-003 (VOICE) samples. Journal of Clinical Virology 94:15-21, 2017.

The blood test is the most accurate test and can normally give reliable results from 1 month after infection. The researchers found that most people could reliably and accurately use rapid tests. Using a statistical approach known as Cohen’s kappa in which 1 represents perfect agreement between the results of a self-tester and a trained health worker and less than 1 represents less than perfect agreement, results were highly concordant. The Cohen’s kappa was 0.98 in studies in which users first received a demonstration of how to do the self-test or to interpret its result. In studies in which this was not provided, it was 0.97. This means that in only a small minority of cases the self-tester and the healthcare worker got results that were different from each other.Nucleic Acid Test (NAT)—A NAT can usually tell if you have HIV infection 10 to 33 days after exposure. It is performed by a lab on blood from your vein.