OBJECTIVE To describe the changes in HIV services provided and the patient population utilizing voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) services at private testing laboratories in Chennai, India in 2001 and 2006. METHODS In 2001, a cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted to assess the services provided and client population of 1,031 private laboratories. A subset of labs (9%) that had...

BACKGROUND HIV serosurveys have become important sources of HIV prevalence estimates, but these estimates may be biased because of refusals and other forms of non-response. We investigate the effect of the post-test counseling study protocol on bias due to the refusal to be tested. METHODS Data come from a nine-month prospective study of hospital admissions in Addis Ababa during which patient...

This paper reviews the essence of effective governance and importance of a multi-sectoral approach in generating health systems response to HIV/AIDS. This comprehensive approach highlights the importance of integrating reproductive sexual health programs and HIV prevention services, including peer education, life skills, and Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT), for Prevention of Mother–to-Ch...

We review two new HIV counseling and testing guidelines by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The guidelines, which address the general population and pregnant women, reflect an important shift in the goals and methods of counseling and testing that has widespread implications. The guidelines' defining characteristic is the greater emphasis on increasing the numbers of people ...

BACKGROUND Changing community norms to increase awareness of HIV status and reduce HIV-related stigma has the potential to reduce the incidence of HIV-1 infection in the developing world. METHODS We developed and implemented a multilevel intervention providing community-based HIV mobile voluntary counseling and testing, community mobilization, and posttest support services. Forty-eight commun...

Breaking bad news is one of the most burdensome tasks physicians face in their everyday practice. It becomes even more challenging in the context of HIV+ patients because of stigma and discrimination. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the quality of giving HIV seroconversion news according to SPIKES protocol. Numbers of 154 consecutive HIV+ patients from Imam Khomeini Hospital testing...

OBJECTIVES Efforts to prevent perinatal transmission of HIV include implementation of prenatal counseling and testing programs. The objective of this study was to assess organizational predictors of HIV counseling and testing. METHODS Surveillance records were collected on 5900 prenatal patients from 9 hospital and community clinics in Connecticut. RESULTS Some organizational factors (e.g.,...

Although the rate of new cases of HIV infection has been relatively stable during the past decade, it remains unacceptably high, with 40,000 individuals newly infected each year. In 2001, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued revised guidelines for HIV counseling, testing, and referral directed toward promoting further reduction of HIV acquisition and transmission. The gui...

Persons with or at risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection need client-centered counseling and information about the disease. One of the best opportunities to provide counseling and information is during an HIV testing encounter. New testing guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourage less counseling before and after testing. We review the evidence reg...