Will an Unsupervised Self-Testing Strategy Be Feasible to Operationalize in Canada? Results from a Pilot Study in Students of a Large Canadian University
Background. A convenient, private, and accessible HIV self-testing strategy stands to complement facility-based conventional testing. Over-the-counter oral HIV self-tests are approved and available in the United States, but not yet in Canada. Canadian data on self-testing is nonexistent. We investig...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2014-01-01
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| Series: | AIDS Research and Treatment |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/747619 |
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| author | Nitika Pant Pai Madhavi Bhargava Lawrence Joseph Jigyasa Sharma Sabrina Pillay Bhairavi Balram Pierre-Paul Tellier |
| author_facet | Nitika Pant Pai Madhavi Bhargava Lawrence Joseph Jigyasa Sharma Sabrina Pillay Bhairavi Balram Pierre-Paul Tellier |
| author_sort | Nitika Pant Pai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background. A convenient, private, and accessible HIV self-testing strategy stands to complement facility-based conventional testing. Over-the-counter oral HIV self-tests are approved and available in the United States, but not yet in Canada. Canadian data on self-testing is nonexistent. We investigated the feasibility of offering an unsupervised self-testing strategy to Canadian students. Methods. Between September 2011 and May 2012, we recruited 145 students from a student health clinic of a large Canadian university. Feasibility of operationalization (i.e., self-test conduct, acceptability, convenience, and willingness to pay) was evaluated. Self-test conduct was computed with agreement between the self-test performed by the student and the test repeated by a healthcare professional. Other metrics were measured on a survey. Results. Participants were young (median age: 22 years), unmarried (97%), and 47% were out of province or international students. Approximately 52% self-reported a history of unprotected casual sex and sex with multiple partners. Self-test conduct agreement was high (100%), so were acceptability (81%), convenience (99%), and willingness to pay (74%) for self-tests. Concerns included accuracy of self-tests and availability of expedited linkages. Conclusion. An unsupervised self-testing strategy was found to be feasible in Canadian students. Findings call for studies in at-risk populations to inform Canadian policy. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a2a89d707a464a32b41b13f5e78a9c2f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-1240 2090-1259 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | AIDS Research and Treatment |
| spelling | doaj-art-a2a89d707a464a32b41b13f5e78a9c2f2025-08-20T03:38:44ZengWileyAIDS Research and Treatment2090-12402090-12592014-01-01201410.1155/2014/747619747619Will an Unsupervised Self-Testing Strategy Be Feasible to Operationalize in Canada? Results from a Pilot Study in Students of a Large Canadian UniversityNitika Pant Pai0Madhavi Bhargava1Lawrence Joseph2Jigyasa Sharma3Sabrina Pillay4Bhairavi Balram5Pierre-Paul Tellier6Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1A1, CanadaDivision of Clinical Epidemiology, McGill University and Health Centre, Montreal, QC, H3A 1A1, CanadaDepartment of Epidemiology, Biostatistics & Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1A2, CanadaDepartment of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1A1, CanadaDivision of Clinical Epidemiology, McGill University and Health Centre, Montreal, QC, H3A 1A1, CanadaDepartment of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 1A1, CanadaMcGill University Student Health Services, Montreal, QC, H3A 0G3, CanadaBackground. A convenient, private, and accessible HIV self-testing strategy stands to complement facility-based conventional testing. Over-the-counter oral HIV self-tests are approved and available in the United States, but not yet in Canada. Canadian data on self-testing is nonexistent. We investigated the feasibility of offering an unsupervised self-testing strategy to Canadian students. Methods. Between September 2011 and May 2012, we recruited 145 students from a student health clinic of a large Canadian university. Feasibility of operationalization (i.e., self-test conduct, acceptability, convenience, and willingness to pay) was evaluated. Self-test conduct was computed with agreement between the self-test performed by the student and the test repeated by a healthcare professional. Other metrics were measured on a survey. Results. Participants were young (median age: 22 years), unmarried (97%), and 47% were out of province or international students. Approximately 52% self-reported a history of unprotected casual sex and sex with multiple partners. Self-test conduct agreement was high (100%), so were acceptability (81%), convenience (99%), and willingness to pay (74%) for self-tests. Concerns included accuracy of self-tests and availability of expedited linkages. Conclusion. An unsupervised self-testing strategy was found to be feasible in Canadian students. Findings call for studies in at-risk populations to inform Canadian policy.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/747619 |
| spellingShingle | Nitika Pant Pai Madhavi Bhargava Lawrence Joseph Jigyasa Sharma Sabrina Pillay Bhairavi Balram Pierre-Paul Tellier Will an Unsupervised Self-Testing Strategy Be Feasible to Operationalize in Canada? Results from a Pilot Study in Students of a Large Canadian University AIDS Research and Treatment |
| title | Will an Unsupervised Self-Testing Strategy Be Feasible to Operationalize in Canada? Results from a Pilot Study in Students of a Large Canadian University |
| title_full | Will an Unsupervised Self-Testing Strategy Be Feasible to Operationalize in Canada? Results from a Pilot Study in Students of a Large Canadian University |
| title_fullStr | Will an Unsupervised Self-Testing Strategy Be Feasible to Operationalize in Canada? Results from a Pilot Study in Students of a Large Canadian University |
| title_full_unstemmed | Will an Unsupervised Self-Testing Strategy Be Feasible to Operationalize in Canada? Results from a Pilot Study in Students of a Large Canadian University |
| title_short | Will an Unsupervised Self-Testing Strategy Be Feasible to Operationalize in Canada? Results from a Pilot Study in Students of a Large Canadian University |
| title_sort | will an unsupervised self testing strategy be feasible to operationalize in canada results from a pilot study in students of a large canadian university |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/747619 |
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