HIV testing plays a critical role in preventing the spread of the virus and identifying infected individuals in need of care. Voluntary counseling and testing centers (VCTs) not only conduct testing but they also provide counseling. Since a proportion of people who test negative for HIV on their previous visit will return for retesting, the frequency of retesting and the characteristics of thos...

This program evaluation examined the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Risk Reduction Program which aims to identify CVD risk factors and reduce these risk factors through health education phone counseling. High risk participants (those having two or more elevated lipid values) are identified from monthly voluntary CVD screenings and counseled. Phone counseling consists of...

OBJECTIVE To determine voluntary human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing rates and factors influencing testing in a private obstetric practice. METHODS Antepartum patients were offered HIV testing after completing a self-assessment questionnaire. Perceived risks and demographics were correlated with testing rates. RESULTS Overall, 348/600 (58%) women consented to HIV testing. In a univar...

Despite its illegality in Brazil, about 31% of all pregnancies end in abortion. Most abortions are performed by unskilled personnel and under unsafe conditions, resulting in increased female mortality. This study used data from a cross-sectional representative sample of 3,047 puerperal women, in 1999-2000, part of a national multicenter study on the prevalence of syphilis in Brazil. Of these, 1...

background: the aim of this perspective study was to assess the frequency of hemoglobinopathy mutational genes among voluntary hemoglobinopathy carrier couples-to-be referred to thalassemia center, shafa hospital, affiliated to ahvaz jondidishapur university of medical sciences (ajuoms), during their first trimester of pregnancy for genetic screening and counseling for prenatal diagnosis (pnd)....

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the yield of a routine voluntary HIV testing program compared with traditional provider-referred voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) in a hospital-affiliated outpatient department (OPD) in Durban, South Africa. DESIGN AND METHODS In a prospective 14-week "standard of care" period, we compared OPD physician logs documenting patient referrals to the hospital VCT site wi...