Summary of Study Session 24

In Study Session 24, you have learned that:

1. HIV testing has several benefits — it creates early access to HIV treatment and care, it encourages reduction of high-risk behaviour, it helps people to make lifestyle changes and avoid transmission of the virus to partners; and for those found to be negative, it helps them to develop a plan to remain HIV-negative.
2. The barriers to HIV testing can be client-related, healthworker-related and health facility-related.
3. There are three different modes of delivering HIV testing and counselling — voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), provider-initiated HIV testing and counselling (PITC), and mandatory testing.
4. HIV testing and counselling should respect human rights. Informed consent should be obtained prior to testing. Mandatory HIV testing can be ordered by a court in cases dealing with sexual assault and rape.
5. There are five steps in delivering PITC:

   Step 1: Recommend HIV testing.

   Step 2: Provide brief pre-test information and education on HIV/AIDS, assure confidentiality, and obtain informed consent.

   Step 3: Obtain specimen for HIV testing.

   Step 4: Perform rapid HIV test.

   Step 5: Deliver HIV test result, provide post-test counselling, and refer the patient if necessary.

6. The three rapid HIV test kits used in Ethiopia are KHB as a screening test, STAT-PAK as a confirmatory test, and Uni-gold as a tiebreaker test. Testing follows a standard set of procedures as laid out in the HIV testing algorithm.