Dried blood spot and mini-tube blood sample collection kits for postal HIV testing services: a comparative review of successes in a real-world setting

Page, M. J.; Atabani, Sowsan; Wood, Martyn; Smit, Erasmus; Wilson, Steven Ray; Atherton, Carol; Davenport, Clare; Hartland, Daniel; Simpson, Mark; Taylor, Stephen

doi:10.1136/sextrans-2018-053567

Cited by 19 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…6 A comparative review between DBS and CBS HIV testing in the North-West England region showed that a large number of samples collected via the CBS method could not be processed due to insufficient sample being provided. 7 There is a lack of data evaluating the effectiveness of online testing for hepatitis B and syphilis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A service evaluation comparing home-based testing to clinic-based testing for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B in Birmingham and Solihull

et al. 2020

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The sexual health services in the Birmingham and Solihull area of the United Kingdom, called Umbrella, has been offering home-based testing for sexually transmitted infections to patients since August 2015. The aim of this service evaluation was to evaluate the uptake, return rate and new diagnosis rates of home-based testing in comparison with clinic-based testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), syphilis (STS) and hepatitis B. Home-based testing, although popular, had low uptake amongst high-risk groups such as men who have sex with men (MSM), compared to the clinic-based group (1% versus 11%, p < 0.001). This resulted in low positivity rates for HIV (0.02%) and STS (0.17%) and no new cases of hepatitis B in the home-based group. Therefore, our results show that home-based testing is not a cost-effective method of testing for HIV and likely this is also the case for hepatitis B and STS. Our recommendation would be to encourage uptake of home-based testing in high-risk groups such as MSM and Black Africans to improve the diagnosis rates of HIV, STS and hepatitis B. Alternatively, the continuation of home-based blood testing in the Birmingham and Solihull area will need to be reviewed by Umbrella as a cost-saving strategy for the service in the future.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A service evaluation comparing home-based testing to clinic-based testing for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B in Birmingham and Solihull

et al. 2020

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“…However, other studies have failed to demonstrate these benefits [16]. Considerable heterogeneity exists between the structural elements of these programs, including the type of rapid HIV test utilized (oral, dried blood spot, minitube) [11, 15, 16], the venue at which HIV/STI rapid self-testing is available for use (walk-in clinic, home) [13, 14], and test result delivery (electronically via secure website, provider phone call, text message) [11, 12, 15], which may explain the differences seen in program uptake. Although the CDC now supports the incorporation of HIV self-testing into large-scale testing programs [17], further investigation of the optimal utilization of the elements of self-testing programs is needed.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes and Preferences Regarding the Use of Rapid Self-Testing for Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV in San Diego Area Men Who Have Sex With Men

Cushman

Graves

2019

Open Forum Infectious Diseases

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Background Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) increase the risk of HIV transmission and are present at high rates among men who have sex with men (MSM). Adherence to HIV/STI testing guidelines is low in the United States. Testing programs that utilize rapid self-administered HIV/STI tests improve testing rates, though multiple factors influence their uptake. Methods MSM were recruited at an HIV/STI testing and treatment program in 2014 and provided consent, demographics, risk behaviors, HIV/STI test preferences, and perceived testing barriers via an online questionnaire. Comparisons of testing preferences and barriers were made based on age, risk group, and HIV serostatus using the Fisher exact test. Results HIV testing preferences included rapid oral test (71.1%), home test location (78.5%), electronic delivery of HIV-negative test results (76.4%), and direct provider notification for HIV-positive test results (70%), with respondents age >45 years being significantly more likely to prefer home testing (P = .033). STI testing preferences included self-collection of specimens (73.2%), home test location (61%), electronic delivery of negative STI test results (76.4%), and direct provider notification for positive STI test results (56.6%) with no significant differences between age, HIV serostatus, or risk groups. The most frequently reported HIV and STI testing barrier was lack of known prior HIV/STI exposure (57.3% for HIV, 62.9% for STI) with respondents age <45 years more frequently citing inconvenience as a barrier to testing (HIV: 50.9% vs 17.4%, P = .010; STI: 58.3% vs 31.8%, P = .070). Conclusions Although additional research is needed, increasing resources directed specifically toward home testing has the potential to translate into improved uptake of rapid HIV/STI testing. Efforts to improve convenience in testing programs must be balanced with the need for continued educational outreach.

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“…A small UK study investigating HIV self-sampling in a service that switched from mini-tube (MT) to dried blood spot (DBS) samples demonstrated significantly better processing rates for DBS at 98.8% versus 55.7% for MT samples (P<0.001), driven primarily by inadequate MT blood volume. False-reactive rates were also higher for MT samples (5.4% vs. 0%) [47].…”

Section: Self-samplingmentioning

confidence: 89%

British HIV Association/British Association for Sexual Health and HIV/British Infection Association adult HIV testing guidelines 2020

et al. 2020

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Dried blood spot and mini-tube blood sample collection kits for postal HIV testing services: a comparative review of successes in a real-world setting

Cited by 19 publications

References 4 publications

A service evaluation comparing home-based testing to clinic-based testing for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B in Birmingham and Solihull

A service evaluation comparing home-based testing to clinic-based testing for HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B in Birmingham and Solihull

Attitudes and Preferences Regarding the Use of Rapid Self-Testing for Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV in San Diego Area Men Who Have Sex With Men

British HIV Association/British Association for Sexual Health and HIV/British Infection Association adult HIV testing guidelines 2020

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