A comparative, retrospective analysis of HIV testing among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

Objective: PRONTO!, a peer‐led rapid HIV‐testing service in Melbourne, Australia, opened to improve HIV testing among gay and bisexual men (GBM). We compared client characteristics and return testing among GBM testing at PRONTO! with GBM testing at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC). Methods: All GBM attending PRONTO! and MSHC for HIV testing between August 2013 and April 2016 were included. We describe the number of tests, percentage of clients who returned during follow‐up, the mean number of tests and median time between tests at the two services. Results: At PRONTO!, 33% of 3,102 GBM and at MSHC 50% of 9,836 GBM returned for a further HIV test at least once. The mean number of tests per client was 1.7 and 2.5 at PRONTO! and MSHC (p<0.01), respectively. A majority of clients at both services reported behaviours that would recommend up to quarterly testing, however, the median time between tests was 20.0 and 17.0 weeks at PRONTO! and MSHC (p<0.01), respectively. Conclusions: A greater proportion of clients returned and returned frequently at MSHC compared to PRONTO!, however, at both services HIV testing frequency was suboptimal. Implications for public health: Novel HIV testing services should provide convenient and comprehensive sexual health services.

Enhancing Insights into Australia’s Gonococcal Surveillance Programme through Stochastic Modelling

“…The results of the STM indicated that for health-seeking behaviours there were four main locations for STI testing as indicated by the literature [ 23 ] and expert opinion. This includes general practice (GP) clinics, sexual health clinics, community health clinics, and testing in tertiary care.…”

Community-based peer-led HIV/sexually transmitted infection testing services in Sydney for gay and bisexual men captured an eighth of new HIV diagnoses in New South Wales, Australia

“…However, gay and bisexual men (GBM) face barriers to accessing these services due to embarrassment with respect to discussing their sexual behaviours with doctors [2] and service provider stigma concerning their sexuality also discourages HIV testing [3]. To reduce these barriers, community-based testing clinics targeting GBM have been implemented in Australia [4–6] and internationally [7,8].…”

Implications of HIV Self-Testing for Other Sexually Transmissible Infection Testing and Broader Sexual Health Needs: A Mixed-Methods Study of Gay and Bisexual Men in Australia

“…13 However, their impact on testing frequency has varied, with peer-based services' reach and scalability limited by predominantly fixed-site models. 14,15 HIV self-testing is a promising additional strategy to increase HIV testing frequency, allowing users to collect, operate, and interpret their own HIV tests when and where they choose. Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated a 2-to 4-fold increase in HIV testing frequency among self-test users, 16,17 and acceptability studies indicate self-tests' convenience, immediacy of results, privacy, less-invasive specimen collection, and a greater locus of control drive actual or intended uptake.…”

“…Recently, peer-delivered community-based services using rapid point-of-care HIV tests have addressed some of these barriers 13 . However, their impact on testing frequency has varied, with peer-based services’ reach and scalability limited by predominantly fixed-site models 14,15 …”