3. Promoting HIV Testing in Diverse Populations
Key Resources for Understanding and Employing HIV Testing Technologies
In addition to understanding the types of HIV tests that are currently on the market, healthcare practitioners and facilities planning to implement routine HIV screening programs have available a wide range of resources that can be deployed to plan the programs, to designate and train the appropriate staff members, and to continuously assess the utility of current and new technologies. The following list offers a representative selection of such resources, although it is by no means definitive.
- Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL). APHL’s “HIV Testing Algorithms” report provides an update on the settings for HIV testing algorithms appropriate for both point of care and laboratory settings. Available at: www.aphl.org/aphlprograms/infectious/hiv/Documents/StatusReportFINAL.pdf.
- CDC’s HIV testing main page. On this site, the CDC provides numerous slide sets, fact sheets, podcasts, guidelines, and other materials on HIV testing, intended primarily for practitioners. Available at: www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/testing/.
- CDC’s National HIV and STD Testing Resources. This resource is intended primarily for patients and other consumers, but it offers succinct overviews of key issues involved in HIV testing. Available at: www.hivtest.org.
- HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN), www.hptn.org. HPTN is a global collaborative clinical trials network that develops and tests the safety and efficacy of primarily non-vaccine interventions designed to prevent HIV transmission. HPTN offers documents, slide sets, and other materials relevant to HIV testing programs.
- Indian Health Service. The US Indian Health Service provides an array of resources for developing screening services at the agency’s facilities. To begin, please consult the agency’s “HIV Testing and Guidance,” available at: www.ihs.gov/medicalprograms/hivaids/index.cfm?module=testing&option=ihsGuidance.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA), SAMHSA's “Rapid HIV Testing Initiative” discusses the procedures for implementing rapid HIV testing at SAMHSA-qualified program sites. Available at: www.samhsa.gov/hivhep/rhti_factsheet02.aspx.
