Category Archives: Testing
Comparing the effects of oral HIV self-testing with those of standard HIV testing for men who have sex with men (MSM): A systematic review and meta-analysis
The WHO recommends HIV self-testing (HIVST) as an innovative strategy and an additional testing approach to attain UNAIDS targets to end HIV by 2030. HIVST is a process whereby a...
A systematic review of limiting antigen avidity enzyme immunoassay for detection of recent HIV-1 infection to expand supported applications
INTRODUCTION: The need for detection of new and recent HIV infections is essential for surveillance and assessing interventions in controlling the epidemic. HIV recency assays are one way of providing...
Linkage to HIV care following HIV self-testing among men: Systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies from six countries in sub-Saharan Africa
Gender disparities are pervasive throughout the HIV care continuum in sub-Saharan Africa, with men testing, receiving treatment, and achieving viral suppression at lower rates, and experiencing mortality at higher rates,...
Evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on accessing HIV services in South Africa: A systematic review
Progress has been made towards controlling the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) epidemic in South Africa. However, the emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has disrupted access to health care. This...
HIV testing uptake according to opt-In, opt-out or risk-based testing approaches: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Purpose of review: Improving HIV testing uptake is essential to ending the HIV pandemic. HIV testing approaches can be opt-in, opt-out or risk-based. This systematic review examines and compares the uptake...
Do couple-based interventions show larger effects in promoting HIV preventive behaviors than individualized interventions in couples? A systematic review and meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials
This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to compare the effects of couple-based prevention interventions against individual-level interventions on HIV prevention in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), identify potential moderators, and assess...
HPV self-sampling for cervical cancer screening among women living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries: What do we know and what can be done?
INTRODUCTION: Self-sampling has the potential to increase cervical cancer (CC) screening among women with HIV in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, our understanding of how HPV self-collection studies have...
Access to, usage and clinic outcomes of, online postal sexually transmitted infection services: A scoping review
BACKGROUND: There has been considerable expansion in online postal self-sampling (OPSS) STI services in many parts of the UK, driven by increasing demand on sexual health services and developments in...
Examining the use of HIV self-testing to support PrEP delivery: A systematic literature review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: HIV self-testing (HIVST) has the potential to expand access to and uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) delivery. We conducted a systematic literature review to understand the...
The effect of universal voluntary HIV counseling and testing on epidemiological, behavioral, and psychosocial outcomes: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses
BACKGROUND: Despite progress in reducing global HIV-related mortality, the decrease in the rate of HIV incidence remains slow. As such, HIV testing remains crucial to the prevention of HIV and...
Early diagnosis, vertical transmission of HIV and its associated factors among exposed infants after implementation of the Option B+ regime in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Introduction Despite scaling up programmes to prevent vertical transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), over 400 children are infected every day globally. Guidelines recommend that all HIV-exposed infants should be...
