Rapid
HIV Test Yields Counseling, Referrals:
Clients Report Satisfaction with Rapid Test
AIDS
Alert
October 1, 2003
Recent studies of the OraQuick rapid HIV test show it can be a valuable tool when combined with counseling in intervention programs because the percentage of people who stay to get their results is very high. In addition, the test has increased demand for HIV testing and counseling in communities that may otherwise be difficult to reach.
In Atlanta, the program resulted in nearly all participants staying to receive their test results. More than 99 percent said they preferred rapid testing, and 100 percent said they would refer their friends. ARCA's ability to take state-certified counseling and testing staff to local churches, community centers, YMCAs and other venues has struck a positive chord within the African- American community.
"The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive," Thompson said. Although the program targeted African-American women, it also reached at-risk men, who accounted for 29 percent of the first 300 clients tested, she explained.
University of Minnesota investigators used the OraQuick test on 739 people in Minneapolis, and all but one received test results. The group included people in chemical dependency programs, homeless shelters, halfway houses and youth centers.
Nationally, CDC estimates that 45.6 percent of Americans have been tested for HIV, including women tested during pregnancy and people tested involuntarily for military service, insurance applications, employment, immigration and other reasons.