Country adherence to WHO recommendations to improve the quality of HIV diagnosis
A global policy review
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21880953 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Virginia A Fonner (0000-0002-9005-3549, Medical University of South Carolina, corresponding author), Anita Sands (0000-0002-8424-754X, World Health Organization), Carmen Figueroa (0000-0002-8965-5622, World Health Organization), Rachel Baggaley (0000-0001-6320-3444, World Health Organization), Caitlin Quinn (0000-0001-5989-7172, World Health Organization), Muhammad S Jamil (0000-0001-9637-7838, World Health Organization), Cheryl Johnson (0000-0001-5499-5523, World Health Organization) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | e001939 |
| Publication date | 2020-05-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | BMJ Global Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2059-7908 • E-ISSN: 2059-7908 |
| Publisher | BMJ (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1136/bmjgh-2019-001939 |
| PMID | 32371571 |
| OpenAlex | W3022836250 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 13 |
INTRODUCTION: Ensuring a correct and timely HIV diagnosis is critical. WHO publishes guidelines on HIV testing strategies that maximise the likelihood of correctly determining one's HIV status. A review of national HIV testing policies in 2014 found low adherence to WHO guidelines. We updated this review to determine adherence to current recommendations. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive policy review through April 2018. We extracted data on HIV testing strategies, recommendations on HIV retesting prior to antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)-related HIV testing information. Descriptive analyses disaggregated by region were conducted to ascertain adherence to recommendations and to describe testing strategy characteristics. RESULTS: Of 91 policies included, 26% (n=24/91) adhered to WHO recommendations. Having a two-assay testing strategy to rule-in HIV infection as opposed to the recommended three-assay testing strategy was a major reason for non-adherence. Of 72 country policies providing sufficient information, 31% (n=22) recommended retesting for HIV prior to initiating ART. Of 25 countries and two regions reporting PrEP-related HIV testing guidelines, almost all recommended testing prior to initiating PrEP and every 3 months during PrEP use. CONCLUSIONS: Global adherence to WHO recommendations for HIV testing strategies have improved since 2014 but remain low. We found adherence existed on a continuum. Such a system provides insights into how countries can move towards adherence by making relatively minor changes to testing strategies. Guidance from WHO on the role of new HIV testing technologies within testing algorithms and identifying ways to simplify testing guidance is warranted
Antiretroviral therapy · Family medicine · Test strategy · Viral load · Computer Science · HIV Research and Treatment · HIV/AIDS drug development and treatment · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions · Medicine
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2023 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |