Category Archives: Testing
Barriers and facilitators to HIV testing in migrants in high-income countries: A systematic review
Migrants, particularly from low- and middle-income countries, are at a heightened risk of adverse HIV outcomes. HIV testing may improve these outcomes. We reviewed and synthesised studies into migrants and...
Health system and community level interventions for improving antenatal care coverage and health outcomes
BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least four antenatal care (ANC) visits for all pregnant women. Almost half of pregnant women worldwide, and especially in developing countries do...
Sensitivity of HIV rapid tests compared to fourth generation enzyme immunoassays or HIV RNA tests – A systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: Determine the sensitivity of rapid HIV tests (RT) compared to fourth generation enzyme immunoassays (EIA) or nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) in clinical settings. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis....
Effect of rapid HIV testing on HIV incidence and services in populations at high risk for HIV exposure: An equity-focused systematic review
OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of rapid voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) for HIV on HIV incidence and uptake of HIV/AIDS services in people at high risk for HIV exposure....
Delivery of HIV test results, post-test discussion and referral in health care settings: A review of guidance for European countries
OBJECTIVES: HIV testing and counselling (HTC) guidelines support and promote best practice among service providers. Few European countries have national HTC guidelines and most rely on guidance from regional and...
Expanding access to HIV viral load testing: A systematic review of RNA stability in EDTA tubes and PPT beyond current time and temperature thresholds
BACKGROUND: HIV viral load (VL) testing is the gold standard for antiretroviral treatment monitoring, but many barriers exist to VL testing in resource-limited settings, including storage and transport limitations for...
Diagnosing acute and prevalent HIV-1 infection in young African adults seeking care for fever: A systematic review and audit of current practice
Fever is a common complaint in HIV-1 infected adults and may be a presenting sign of acute HIV-1 infection (AHI). We investigated the extent to which HIV-1 infection was considered...
Systematic review and meta-analysis of community and facility-based HIV testing to address linkage to care gaps in sub-Saharan Africa
HIV testing and counselling is the first crucial step for linkage to HIV treatment and prevention. However, despite high HIV burden in sub-Saharan Africa, testing coverage is low, particularly among...
The role of nurses in HIV screening in health care facilities: A systematic review
OBJECTIVE: To examine nurse-driven HIV screening in various health care settings in terms of its impact on test offering, acceptance and delivery rates, nursing responsibilities, staff perceptions and long-term implementation....
The effectiveness of home-based HIV counseling and testing on reducing stigma and risky sexual behavior among adults and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analyses
BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus counselling and testing is a critical and essential gateway to Human immunodeficiency virus prevention, treatment, care and support services. Though some primary studies indicate that home-based...
