HIV Self-Testing in Malawi
Author Information
Author(s): Rochelle Walensky, Ingrid Bassett
Primary Institution: Massachusetts General Hospital
Hypothesis
Can home-based oral HIV self-testing be feasible in high-prevalence settings like Malawi?
Conclusion
The study demonstrated that home-based oral HIV self-testing is feasible and acceptable in a high-prevalence, low-income environment.
Supporting Evidence
- Only 8% of subjects chose not to test.
- Self-testing results were 99% concordant with rapid finger-stick tests.
- Nearly half of the participants were men, a demographic hard to engage in testing.
Takeaway
This study shows that people in Malawi can successfully test themselves for HIV at home, which could help more people learn their HIV status.
Methodology
The study assessed the uptake and acceptability of home-based supervised oral HIV self-testing.
Potential Biases
Potential bias exists as the study may not reflect the experiences of those who have never tested for HIV.
Limitations
The study primarily involved participants with prior HIV testing experience, which may not represent less-engaged populations.
Participant Demographics
Participants were from high-density suburbs of Blantyre, Malawi, with nearly half being men.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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