Johns Hopkins Offers HIV Self-Test

In an effort to curtail the global spread of AIDS, Johns Hopkins recently conducted an in-hospital trial that offered self-administered HIV tests to Emergency Room visitors. The standard tests – the same that health care workers currently use – require little more than a simple pin prick or mouth swab added to a test tube and 20 minutes to achieve results. Using basic written instructions included in the kit, 400 of 402 respondents correctly interpreted the positive or negative response that were later verified by hospital staff.

While early detection is important to curtail the proliferation of the disease and improve a patient’s chance for survival, the tests do carry associated risks – self-diagnoses can be inaccurate and potentially devastating to individuals who don’t receive proper counseling. Still, if made available over-the-counter, these tests could lead people who might not otherwise know to change their behaviors or seek medical attention, dramatically reducing the impact of AIDS on people’s lives.

[via US News]

[image via GDS Digital on Flickr]