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Journal ArticleDOI

Screening Adults for HIV Testing in the Outpatient Department: An Assessment of Tool Performance in Malawi.

TL;DR: This paper used exit survey data collected at outpatient departments in Malawi to estimate the sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values of screening tools that include questions about sexual behavior and use of health services, and compared a full tool (seven relevant questions) to a reduced tool (five questions, excluding sexual behavior measures) and to standard of care (two questions, never tested for HIV or tested 12 months ago, or seeking care for suspected STI).
Abstract: Little is known about screening tools for adults in high HIV burden contexts. We use exit survey data collected at outpatient departments in Malawi (n = 1038) to estimate the sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values of screening tools that include questions about sexual behavior and use of health services. We compare a full tool (seven relevant questions) to a reduced tool (five questions, excluding sexual behavior measures) and to standard of care (two questions, never tested for HIV or tested > 12 months ago, or seeking care for suspected STI). Suspect STI and ≥ 3 sexual partners were associated with HIV positivity, but had weak sensitivity and specificity. The full tool (using the optimal cutoff score of ≥ 3) would achieve 55.6% sensitivity and 84.9% specificity for HIV positivity; the reduced tool (optimal cutoff score ≥ 2) would achieve 59.3% sensitivity and 68.5% specificity; and standard of care 77.8% sensitivity and 47.8% specificity. Screening tools for HIV testing in outpatient departments do not offer clear advantages over standard of care.

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: High sensitivity and the fifth reduction in testing volume were acceptable attributes to enhance testing efficiency and effective limited resource utilisation in Zimbabwe.
Abstract: HIV positivity yield declined against increasing testing volumes in Zimbabwe, from 20% (1.65 million tests) in 2011 to 6% (3 million tests) in 2018. A screening tool was introduced to aid testers to identify clients likely to obtain a positive diagnosis of HIV. Consequently, testing volumes declined to 2.3 million in 2019 but positivity declined to 5% prompting the evaluation and validation of the tool to improve its precision in predicting positivity yield. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Sixty-four sites were randomly selected where all reporting clients (18+ years) were screened and tested for HIV. Participant responses and test outcomes were documented and uploaded to excel. Multivariable analysis was used to determine the performance of individual, combination questions and screening criteria to achieve >/ = 90% sensitivity for a new screening tool. We evaluated 13 questions among 7,825 participants and obtained 95.7% overall sensitivity, ranging from 3.9% [(95%CI:2.5,5.9) sharing sharp objects] to 86.8% [(95%CI:83.8,89.5) self-perception of risk] for individual questions. A 5-question tool was developed and validated among 2,116 participants. The best combination (self-perception of risk, partner tested positive, history of ill health, last tested >/ = 3months and symptoms of an STI) scored 94.1% (95%CI:89.4,97.1) sensitivity, 18% reduction in testing volumes and 11 Number Needed to Test (NNT). A screening in criteria that combine previously testing >/ = 3 months with a yes to any of the 4 remaining questions was analysed and sensitivity ranged from 89.9% (95%CI:84.4,94.0) for last tested >/ = 3months and sexual partner positive, to 93.5% (95%CI:88.7,96.7) for last tested >/ = 3months and self-perceived risk We successfully developed, evaluated and validated an HIV screening tool. High sensitivity and the fifth reduction in testing volume were acceptable attributes to enhance testing efficiency and effective limited resource utilisation. Screened out clients will be identified through frequent screening and self-testing options.

1 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
03 Dec 2015-Nature
TL;DR: Expanding home and mobile testing, self-testing and outreach to key populations with facilitated linkage can increase the proportion of men, young adults and high-risk individuals linked to HIV treatment and prevention, and decrease HIV burden.
Abstract: 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 young adults and men. Community-based HIV testing and counselling (testing outside of health facilities) has the potential to reduce coverage gaps, but the relative impact of different modalities is not well assessed. We conducted a systematic review of HIV testing modalities, characterizing community (home, mobile, index, key populations, campaign, workplace and self-testing) and facility approaches by population reached, HIV positivity, CD4 count at diagnosis and linkage. Of 2,520 abstracts screened, 126 met eligibility criteria. Community HIV testing and counselling had high coverage and uptake and identified HIV-positive people at higher CD4 counts than facility testing. Mobile HIV testing reached the highest proportion of men of all modalities examined (50%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 47-54%) and home with self-testing reached the highest proportion of young adults (66%, 95% CI = 65-67%). Few studies evaluated HIV testing for key populations (commercial sex workers and men who have sex with men), but these interventions yielded high HIV positivity (38%, 95% CI = 19-62%) combined with the highest proportion of first-time testers (78%, 95% CI = 63-88%), indicating service gaps. Community testing with facilitated linkage (for example, counsellor follow-up to support linkage) achieved high linkage to care (95%, 95% CI = 87-98%) and antiretroviral initiation (75%, 95% CI = 68-82%). Expanding home and mobile testing, self-testing and outreach to key populations with facilitated linkage can increase the proportion of men, young adults and high-risk individuals linked to HIV treatment and prevention, and decrease HIV burden.

393 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The changing epidemiology of paediatric HIV and the particular features of HIV infection in adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa are discussed.
Abstract: Summary Worldwide, more than three million children are infected with HIV, 90% of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa. As the HIV epidemic matures and antiretroviral treatment is scaled up, children with HIV are reaching adolescence in large numbers. The growing population of adolescents with perinatally acquired HIV infection living within this region presents not only unprecedented challenges but also opportunities to learn about the pathogenesis of HIV infection. In this Review, we discuss the changing epidemiology of paediatric HIV and the particular features of HIV infection in adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. Longstanding HIV infection acquired when the immune system is not developed results in distinctive chronic clinical complications that cause severe morbidity. As well as dealing with chronic illness, HIV-infected adolescents have to confront psychosocial issues, maintain adherence to drugs, and learn to negotiate sexual relationships, while undergoing rapid physical and psychological development. Context-specific strategies for early identification of HIV infection in children and prompt linkage to care need to be developed. Clinical HIV care should integrate age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health and psychological, educational, and social services. Health-care workers will need to be trained to recognise and manage the needs of these young people so that the increasing numbers of children surviving to adolescence can access quality care beyond specialist services at low-level health-care facilities.

372 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Much more remains to be done to promote physical activity among primary care patients with prediabetes in Singapore, and practitioners and policy makers need to work together to address the organisational, community and policy barriers to physical activity.
Abstract: Primary care patients with prediabetes is a priority group in the clinical, organisational and policy contexts. Engaging in regular physical activity is crucial to prevent diabetes for this group. The objectives of the study were to assess factors associated with meeting the recommendation of at least 150 min of moderate/vigorous physical activity weekly, and to explore facilitators and barriers related to the behaviour among primary care patients with prediabetes in Singapore. This was a mixed methods study, consisting of a cross-sectional survey involving 433 participants from 8 polyclinics, and in-depth interviews with 48 of them. Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) were obtained by mixed effects Poisson regression model. The socio-ecological model (SEM) was applied, and thematic analysis performed. The prevalence of meeting the recommendation was 65.8%. This was positively associated with being male (aPR 1.21, 95%CI 1.09–1.34), living in 4–5 room public housing (aPR 1.19, 95%CI 1.07–1.31), living in executive flat/private housing (aPR 1.26, 95%CI 1.06–1.50), having family members/friends to exercise with (aPR 1.57, 95%CI 1.38–1.78); and negatively associated with a personal history of osteoarthritis (aPR 0.75, 95%CI 0.59–0.96), as well as time spent sitting or reclining daily (aPR 0.96, 95%CI 0.94–0.98). The recurrent themes for not meeting the recommendation included lacking companionship from family members/friends, medical conditions hindering physical activity (particularly osteoarthritis), lacking knowledge/skills to exercise properly, “no time” to exercise and barriers pertaining to exercise facilities in the neighbourhood. The recurrent themes for meeting the recommendation included family/peer influence, health/well-being concerns and education by healthcare professionals. Much more remains to be done to promote physical activity among primary care patients with prediabetes in Singapore. Participants reported facilitators and barriers to physical activity at different levels of the SEM. Apart from the individual and interpersonal levels, practitioners and policy makers need to work together to address the organisational, community and policy barriers to physical activity.

361 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Although there is a plausible link between STI and HIV risk, intervention studies continue to be disappointing and mechanisms of action and the design and implementation of interventions need to be better understood.
Abstract: Purpose of reviewWe review recent evidence about the link between sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV transmission and consider implications for control programmes.Recent findingsNew studies and meta-analyses confirm the association of HIV acquisition and transmission with recent STIs, alt

316 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
15 May 2019-Nature
TL;DR: This analysis reveals substantial within-country variation in the prevalence of HIV throughout sub-Saharan Africa and local differences in both the direction and rate of change in HIV prevalence between 2000 and 2017, highlighting the degree to which important local differences are masked when examining trends at the country level.
Abstract: HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of disease burden in sub-Saharan Africa. Existing evidence has demonstrated that there is substantial local variation in the prevalence of HIV; however, subnational variation has not been investigated at a high spatial resolution across the continent. Here we explore within-country variation at a 5 × 5-km resolution in sub-Saharan Africa by estimating the prevalence of HIV among adults (aged 15–49 years) and the corresponding number of people living with HIV from 2000 to 2017. Our analysis reveals substantial within-country variation in the prevalence of HIV throughout sub-Saharan Africa and local differences in both the direction and rate of change in HIV prevalence between 2000 and 2017, highlighting the degree to which important local differences are masked when examining trends at the country level. These fine-scale estimates of HIV prevalence across space and time provide an important tool for precisely targeting the interventions that are necessary to bringing HIV infections under control in sub-Saharan Africa. Fine-scale estimates of the prevalence of HIV in adults across sub-Saharan Africa reveal substantial within-country variation and local differences in both the direction and rate of change in the prevalence of HIV between 2000 and 2017.

292 citations

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