Opt-out HIV testing in primary care: a qualitative study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Opt-out HIV testing in primary care for patients undergoing routine blood tests: a qualitative study of patient and healthcare professional acceptability
IRAS ID
300232
Contact name
Jaime Vera
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Sussex
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Research summary:
The United Kingdom is committed to ending new HIV transmissions by 2030. In areas of high HIV prevalence it is recommended that all patients undergoing blood tests in primary care should be offered a HIV test. However, this is not currently standard practice. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted alongside the roll-out of a novel service providing opt-out HIV testing in primary care to understand patients’ and healthcare professional’s (HCPs) perspectives on testing in this context. This will provide important information on the acceptability of this programme and provide insights into modifiable factors that may be applicable to other settings in the UK.
Summary of study results:
In a 3-week pilot of universal-offer HIV testing, 47% of patients were offered a HIV test with 79% accepting one. Semi-structured interviews with patients identified a range of pervious HIV testing experiences, with patients reporting that the "offer" of a test was routine and non-judgemental. Moreover, they reported that receiving negative results via text message was appropriate. However, several participants admitted to not fully appreciating the implications of a positive result when they accepted the HIV test. Interviews with 3 healthcare professionals involved in the service identified no significant service-level barriers.
REC name
London - Hampstead Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/PR/1037
Date of REC Opinion
4 Aug 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion