CDC Tries to Make HIV Testing Routine

Under a law that took effect in October, health care providers in Ohio no longer have to obtain a patient's separate, informed consent before administering an HIV test. Although such consent is no longer required, providers still must inform patients of their right to anonymous testing.

At Cleveland's MetroHealth Medical Center, infectious-disease specialist Dr. Ann Avery recently led an analysis of electronic medical records on HIV testing there from 2002-07. The number of tests given rose each year, and an average of 0.75 percent of patients were HIV-positive. In 2007, 9,155 tests were conducted, and 48 were positive. Most screening during the years studied was in conjunction with outpatient care for pregnant women, Avery said.

Avery and her team then reviewed hospital and clinic encounters in 2008-09 for patients ages 13 to 64 who had not been diagnosed with HIV. This analysis involved 34,000 hospital admissions and 336,000 outpatient visits and found that:
*71.4 percent of patients in 2008 and 70.7 percent in 2009 had never undergone HIV testing at MetroHealth.
*Of those newly diagnosed with HIV, eight out of 10 had not been tested previously at MetroHealth, despite presenting for outpatient care or being admitted.
*Men were half as likely as women to have been tested.

In response to the findings, which Avery presented in October at the national conference of the Infectious Disease Society, MetroHealth modified its computerized health maintenance reminder to inform the primary physician about a patient's HIV test history. "That way, we can be a little more smart about this routine testing," Avery said.

In addition, MetroHealth is coaching its staff in the communication skills necessary to explain to patients, especially teenagers, the benefits of being tested for HIV.

Since 2006, CDC has recommended that persons ages 13 to 64 should be offered HIV testing as a part of routine medical care.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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