SynthesisEuropean journal of public health2015
Routine testing for blood-borne viruses in prisons: a systematic review.
Synthesis in European journal of public health, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- Best practice guidelines for viral hepatitis service delivery in prisons.The Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2026Pooled it
- Global coverage of interventions for reduction of injecting drug use-related harm, HIV, viral hepatitis and tuberculosis in prisons and other carceral settings: A systematic review.The International journal on drug policy · 2026Pooled it
- Hepatitis C Cascade of Care in the Direct-Acting Antivirals Era: A Meta-Analysis.American journal of preventive medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Prevalence and Management of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Correctional Settings: A Systematic Review.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2022Pooled it
- The global and regional prevalence of hepatitis C and B co-infections among prisoners living with HIV: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Infectious diseases of poverty · 2021Pooled it
- Hepatitis B and C testing strategies in healthcare and community settings in the EU/EEA: A systematic review.Journal of viral hepatitis · 2019Pooled it
- Active Case Finding for Communicable Diseases in Prison Settings: Increasing Testing Coverage and Uptake Among the Prison Population in the European Union/European Economic Area.Epidemiologic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- A multicentre interventional study to assess blood-borne viral infections in Belgian prisons.BMC infectious diseases · 2021Trial
- Article
- Application of co-design to develop and prioritise health literacy-informed action ideas for implementation across prisons in New South Wales, Australia.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Feasibility of a prison-based test-and-treat model for enhancing hepatitis C care in Kedah, Malaysia.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Integrating hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus screening for migrants from endemic countries into travel-related and sexual health care in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on HIV Test Uptake Among People Who Inject Drugs in the Context of an HIV Outbreak.AIDS and behavior · 2024Article
- Racial differences in testing for infectious diseases: An analysis of jail intake data.PloS one · 2023Article
- The Importance of Prisons in Achieving Hepatitis C Elimination: Insights from the Australian Experience.Viruses · 2022Article
- New hepatitis C virus infection, re-infection and associated risk behaviour in male Irish prisoners: a cohort study, 2019.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2021Article
- Hepatitis C elimination among people incarcerated in prisons: challenges and recommendations for action within a health systems framework.The lancet. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2021Review
- Hepatitis B virus infection in EU/EEA and United Kingdom prisons: a descriptive analysis.Epidemiology and infection · 2021Article
- Disparities in hepatitis C care across Canadian provincial prisons: Implications for hepatitis C micro-elimination.Canadian liver journal · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPeople in prison have a higher burden of blood-borne virus (BBV) infection than the general population, and prisons present an opportunity to test for BBVs in high-risk, underserved groups. Changes to the BBV testing policies in English prisons have recently been piloted. This review will enable existing evidence to inform policy revisions. We describe components of routine HIV, hepatitis B and C virus testing policies in prisons and quantify testing acceptance, coverage, result notification and diagnosis.
methodsWe searched five databases for studies of both opt-in (testing offered to all and the individual chooses to have the test or not) and opt-out (the individual is informed the test will be performed unless they actively refuse) prison BBV testing policies.
resultsForty-four studies published between 1989 and 2013 met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 82% were conducted in the USA, 91% included HIV testing and most tested at the time of incarceration. HIV testing acceptance rates ranged from 22 to 98% and testing coverage from 3 to 90%. Mixed results were found for equity in uptake. Six studies reported reasons for declining a test including recent testing and fear.
conclusionsWhile the quality of evidence is mixed, this review suggests that reasonable rates of uptake can be achieved with opt-in and, even better, with opt-out HIV testing policies. Little evidence was found relating to hepatitis testing. Policies need to specify exclusion criteria and consider consent processes, type of test and timing of the testing offer to balance acceptability, competence and availability of individuals.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.