Qualitative research on point-of-care testing strategies and programs for HIV

Point-of-care (POC) testing in communities, home settings and primary healthcare centers plays an important role in cutting delays in HIV diagnosis and in the uptake of voluntary testing and counseling. Qualitative research methods have important potential to overcome the current challenges in expanding HIV POC testing programs and strategies, by examining the diagnostic processes, complex inter-relationships and patterns involved in making POC diagnostics work in real-world settings. This article reviews existing qualitative studies on POC testing strategies and programs for HIV. Qualitative research on POC diagnostics around the uptake of POC tests, the actual diagnostic and testing processes involved, the influence of POC tests on clinical decision-making, communication of decisions and decisions exercised by patients are limited. Equally limited are studies that explore adaptation of POC programs to various socio-cultural contexts. More qualitative research is needed to inform test developers, funders and policymakers.

[1]  V. Bond,et al.  A systematic review of qualitative findings on factors enabling and deterring uptake of HIV testing in Sub-Saharan Africa , 2013, BMC Public Health.

[2]  N. Engel,et al.  Point-of-Care Testing for Infectious Diseases: Diversity, Complexity, and Barriers in Low- And Middle-Income Countries , 2012, PLoS medicine.

[3]  J. Mill,et al.  The Experience of HIV Diagnosis Among Aboriginal People Living With HIV/AIDS and Depression , 2013, Qualitative health research.

[4]  D. Malamud,et al.  A Qualitative Study of Patients' Attitudes toward HIV Testing in the Dental Setting , 2012, Nursing research and practice.

[5]  G. Wagner,et al.  A Qualitative Exploration of Sexual Risk and HIV Testing Behaviors among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Beirut, Lebanon , 2012, PloS one.

[6]  N. Angotti.  Working outside of the box: how HIV counselors in Sub-Saharan Africa adapt Western HIV testing norms. , 2010, Social science & medicine.

[7]  B. Booth,et al.  A qualitative analysis of provider barriers and solutions to HIV testing for substance users in a small, largely rural southern state. , 2013, The Journal of rural health : official journal of the American Rural Health Association and the National Rural Health Care Association.

[8]  Julie Barroso,et al.  Metasynthesis of Qualitative Research on Living with HIV Infection , 2000, Qualitative health research.

[9]  D. Wight,et al.  Feasibility and acceptability of offering rapid HIV tests to patients registering with primary care in London (UK): a pilot study , 2009, Sexually Transmitted Infections.

[10]  L. Richter,et al.  The influence of antiretroviral treatment on willingness to test: a qualitative study in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa , 2011, African journal of AIDS research : AJAR.

[11]  J. Moskowitz,et al.  “I'm sorry, you're positive”: a qualitative study of individual experiences of testing positive for HIV , 2009, AIDS care.

[12]  A. Carballo-Diéguez,et al.  Home Testing Past, Present and Future: Lessons Learned and Implications for HIV Home Tests , 2014, AIDS and Behavior.

[13]  N. Ford,et al.  Uptake of Home-Based Voluntary HIV Testing in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis , 2012, PLoS medicine.

[14]  Samantha P. Williams,et al.  Urban women's gender scripts: Implications for HIV prevention , 2003 .

[15]  R. Hayes,et al.  Uptake of Voluntary Counselling and Testing among Young People Participating in an HIV Prevention Trial: Comparison of Opt-Out and Opt-In Strategies , 2012, PloS one.

[16]  N. Engel,et al.  Tuberculosis diagnostics: Why we need more qualitative research , 2013, Journal of epidemiology and global health.

[17]  A. Hardon,et al.  ‘What mother wouldn't want to save her baby?’ HIV testing and counselling practices in a rural Ugandan antenatal clinic , 2013, Culture, health & sexuality.

[18]  J. Parkhurst,et al.  A qualitative study of HIV testing and referral practices of private hospital doctors treating patients with TB in Chennai, India. , 2012, The International journal of health planning and management.

[19]  D. Rubin,et al.  Factors Leading to Self-Disclosure of a Positive HIV Diagnosis in Nairobi, Kenya , 2007, Qualitative health research.

[20]  S. Jan,et al.  Feasibility, acceptability and cost of home‐based HIV testing in rural Kenya , 2009, Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH.

[21]  K. D. de Cock,et al.  Unfinished business--expanding HIV testing in developing countries. , 2006, The New England journal of medicine.

[22]  Jacobus F. A. Jansen,et al.  Reduced Structural Connectivity between Sensorimotor and Language Areas in Rolandic Epilepsy , 2013, PloS one.

[23]  A. Thorson,et al.  Opt-out HIV testing during antenatal care: experiences of pregnant women in rural Uganda. , 2012, Health policy and planning.

[24]  J. Changalucha,et al.  Trends in the uptake of voluntary counselling and testing for HIV in rural Tanzania in the context of the scale up of antiretroviral therapy , 2012, Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH.

[25]  A. Daftary,et al.  HIV testing and disclosure: a qualitative analysis of TB patients in South Africa , 2007, AIDS care.

[26]  C. Gilks,et al.  The role of HIV testing, counselling, and treatment in coping with HIV/AIDS in Uganda: a qualitative analysis , 2009, AIDS care.

[27]  Rosanna W. Peeling,et al.  Supervised and Unsupervised Self-Testing for HIV in High- and Low-Risk Populations: A Systematic Review , 2013, PLoS medicine.

[28]  Ibrahim Elmadfa,et al.  Behaviour change for better health: nutrition, hygiene and sustainability , 2013, BMC Public Health.

[29]  A. Prost,et al.  “There is such a thing as asking for trouble”: taking rapid HIV testing to gay venues is fraught with challenges , 2006, Sexually Transmitted Infections.

[30]  Dynamics of Care, Situations of Choice: HIV Tests in Times of ART , 2011, Medical anthropology.

[31]  Wendy S Stevens,et al.  Challenges in implementing HIV load testing in South Africa. , 2010, The Journal of infectious diseases.

[32]  Mark Leys,et al.  Health care policy: qualitative evidence and health technology assessment. , 2003, Health policy.

[33]  A. Coyle,et al.  A review of research on the nature and quality of HIV testing services: a proposal for process-based studies. , 1996, Social science & medicine.

[34]  E. Coast,et al.  Living with HIV postdiagnosis: a qualitative study of the experiences of Nairobi slum residents , 2013, BMJ Open.

[35]  Robinson Cabello,et al.  Motivating Men Who Have Sex with Men to Get Tested for HIV through the Internet and Mobile Phones: A Qualitative Study , 2012, Retrovirology.

[36]  T. Coates,et al.  Removing Barriers to Knowing HIV Status: Same-Day Mobile HIV Testing in Zimbabwe , 2006, Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes.

[37]  N. Perry,et al.  Why some MSM present late for HIV testing: a qualitative analysis , 2012, AIDS care.