10.5061/DRYAD.76854
Hansoti, Bhakti
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Stead, David
Walter Sisulu University
Parrish, Andy
Walter Sisulu University
Reynolds, Steven J.
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Redd, Andrew D.
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Whalen, Madeleine M.
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Mvandaba, Nomzamo
Walter Sisulu University
Quinn, Thomas C.
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Data from: HIV testing in a South African emergency department: a missed
opportunity
Dryad
dataset
2019
Emergency Medicine
2019-02-27T00:00:00Z
2019-02-27T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193858
201182 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Background: South Africa (SA) has the highest burden of HIV infection in
the world. Even though HIV testing is mandated in all hospital-based
facilities in SA, it is rarely implemented in the emergency department
(ED). EDs are episodic care centers that provide care to large volumes of
undifferentiated patients for short periods of time, and may treat
undiagnosed HIV-infected patients not captured through standard clinic
based screenings. Methods and Findings: In this prospective study, we
implemented the National South African HIV testing guidelines, including
24-hours a day counselor initiated HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT), at
Frere Hospital in the Eastern Cape from September 1 to November 30, 2016.
All patients that presented for care in the ED during the study period,
and who were clinically stable and fully conscious, were eligible to be
approached by HCT staff to receive a rapid point-of-care HIV test. A total
of 2355 of the 9583 (24.6%) patients that presented to the ED for care
during the study period were approached by the HCT staff, of whom 1852
were enrolled in the study. There was high uptake of HIV testing (78.6%)
among a predominantly male (58%) patient group that mostly presented with
traumatic injuries (70.8%). Four hundred (21.6%) of the enrolled patients
were HIV positive, including 115 (6.2%) with previously undiagnosed HIV
infection. The overall prevalence of HIV infection in females (29.8%) was
twice that compared to males (15.4%), despite the burden of undiagnosed
infection being similar (6.0% for all females and 6.4% for all males).
Conclusions: Overall there was a high HIV testing uptake that revealed a
significant burden of undiagnosed HIV infection in this setting,
especially in young males. Future research should focus on testing
optimization, and efficient linkage to care from the ED for antiretroviral
therapy initiation.
Frere DataSetAvailable in this data set are the vital signs, chief
complaints and HIV status of all patients that presented to the Frere
Hospital in East London during the study period and were enrolled in the
study. Subject ID and date/time of presentation have been removed due to
sensitivities surrounding HIV testing.
South Africa