BACKGROUND The acceptability and feasibility of provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling (PITC) in many settings across Asia with concentrated HIV epidemics is not known. A pilot study of the PITC policy undertaken within the public health care systems in two districts in India offered the opportunity to understand patient's perspectives on the process of referral for HIV testing and linki...

New rapid human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody tests permit many individuals to receive test results and appropriate counseling at one clinic visit. Because currently used tests require significant time for processing, all individuals must return for a second visit for test results and counseling. Since return rates for the second visit are low, the more rapid tests present an opportunit...

BACKGROUND Ambitious UN goals to reduce the mother-to-child transmission of HIV have not been met in much of Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper focuses on the quality of information provision and counseling and disclosure patterns in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Malawi and Uganda to identify how services can be improved to enable better PMTCT outcomes. METHODS Our mixed-methods study draws on data obtain...

BACKGROUND To examine the extent to which state adoption of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2006 revisions to adult and adolescent HIV testing guidelines is associated with availability of other important prevention and medical services. We hypothesized that in states where the pretest counseling requirement for HIV testing was dropped from state legislation, substance use ...

INTRODUCTION Facility-based HIV testing does not capture many adults and children who are at risk of HIV in South Africa. This underscores the need to provide targeted, age-appropriate HIV testing for children, adolescents, and adults who are not accessing health facilities. While home-based counseling and testing has been successfully delivered in multiple settings, it also often fails to enga...

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...

Open since 1995, NTIHC is a drop-in center that offers free reproductive health services to youth, including diagnosis and treatment of STIs, family planning, pregnancy testing and counseling, and antenatal and postnatal care. In 2002, NTIHC began offering VCT two days per week and expanded its facility to provide waiting and counseling space for youth seeking VCT. AIC provided initial technica...

INTRODUCTION Client-initiated HIV testing and counseling has helped millions of people learn their HIV status. Nevertheless, global coverage of HIV testing and counseling programs remains low. This study describes the characteristics of clients who accessed HIV counseling and testing (HCT) services in Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, (OOUTH) Sagamu. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retro...