Health Care : Current Reviews

Abstract

HIV Screening in the Emergency Department: Where Do We Stand?

Michael Heller

 Abstract

Recent data from the USA and elsewhere indicating that the number of new HIV/ AIDS cases continues to rise has stimulated state and national efforts to identify patients with undetected HIV infection. Although the use of Emergency Departments (EDs) as a venue for screening remains controversial, the ED has become a major focus of this effort with more than a dozen studies of ED screening for HIV reported in recent years. This review of ED studies published since 2005 summarizes these findings: selection bias in these programs appears common, acceptance of testing varies widely, positivity rates are usually less than 1% and the cost per case found is approximated to be between $1600 to $10,000.