ArticleBMC public health2019
Feasibility of community-based HIV self-screening in South Africa: a demonstration project.
Article in BMC public health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 2 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
16 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- HIV Self-Testing Uptake and Intervention Strategies Among Men in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in public health · 2021Pooled it
- A community-based dynamic choice model for HIV prevention improves PrEP and PEP coverage in rural Uganda and Kenya: a cluster randomized trial.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2023Trial
- Preventing Unintended Pregnancies and HIV Through Self-Care Interventions in East and Southern Africa: Findings From a Structured Review.Public health reviews · 2025Review
- Improving linkage to HIV care following a reactive HIV self-testing result among men in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Factors affecting HIV prevention communication between professional nurses and high school learners in eThekwini.Health SA = SA Gesondheid · 2024Article
- Approaches for improving linkage to HIV care among HIV self-testing individuals in sub-Saharan Africa.BMJ global health · 2023Article
- HIV self-testing: a cross-sectional survey conducted among students at a tertiary institution in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2020.Journal of public health in Africa · 2023Article
- The effectiveness, feasibility and acceptability of HIV service delivery at private pharmacies in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2022Article
- Article
- Findings from a novel and scalable community-based HIV testing approach to reduce the time required to complete point-of-care HIV testing in South Africa.BMC health services research · 2021Article
- Examining the effects of HIV self-testing compared to standard HIV testing services in the general population: A systematic review and meta-analysis.EClinicalMedicine · 2021Article
- Outcomes from a multimodal, at-scale community-based HIV counselling and testing programme in twelve high HIV burden districts in South Africa.Journal of the International AIDS Society · 2021Article
- Implementation outcomes of HIV self-testing in low- and middle- income countries: A scoping review.PloS one · 2021Article
- Perspectives of Policymakers on the Introduction and Scale-Up of HIV Self-Testing and Implication for National HIV Programming in Ghana.Frontiers in public health · 2021Article
- Diagnostic Infectious Diseases Testing Outside Clinics: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Open forum infectious diseases · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
21 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHIV diagnosis is a critical step in linking HIV-infected individuals to care and treatment and linking HIV-uninfected persons to prevention services. However, the uptake of HIV testing remains low in many countries. HIV self-screening (HIVSS) is acceptable to adults, but there is limited data on HIVSS feasibility in community programmes. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of HIVSS in South Africa.
methodsWe conducted a prospective study that enrolled participants through mobile site, homebased, workplace and sex worker programmes in two townships from May to November 2017. Following an information session on HIVSS, interested participants were offered one of three methods of HIVSS testing: supervised, semi-supervised, and unsupervised. Participants who opted for unsupervised testing and those who tested HIV positive after semi- or supervised HIVSS were followed up telephonically or with a home visit one week after receipt of the test kit to confirm results and linkages to care. Follow-up visits were concluded when the participant indicated that they had used the kit or had accessed a confirmatory HIV test.
resultsOf the 2061 people approached, 88.2% (1818/2061) received HIV testing information. Of this group, 89% (1618/1818) were enrolled in the study and 70.0% (1133/1618) were tested for HIV with the kit. The median age was 28 (IQR:23-33) years with an even gender distribution. Of those enrolled, 43.0% (696/1618) were identified through homebased outreach, 42.5% (687/1618) through mobile sites, 7.3% (118/1618) at their workplace and 7.2% (117/1618) from sex worker programmes. A total of 68.7% (1110/1616) selected unsupervised HIVSS, whereas 6.3% (101/1616) opted for semi-supervised and 25.0% ((405/1616) chose supervised HIVSS. Overall, the HIV prevalence using the HIVSS test was 8.2% (93/1129). Of those newly diagnosed with HIV, 16% (12/75) were initiated on ART. Almost half (48.0%; 543/1131) of those tested were linked to a primary HIV test as follows: supervised (85.2%; 336/394); semi-supervised (93.8%; 91/97) and unsupervised (18.1%; 116/640).
conclusionUnsupervised HIVSS was by far the most selected and utilised HIVSS method. Linkages to primary and confirmatory testing for the unsupervised HIVSS and further care were low, despite home visits and telephonic reminders.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.