Abstract
ContextHIV self-tests are currently being introduced in France with the aim of promoting screening both for the general population and for high-risk populations.ObjectiveThe current study aimed to identify and compare the information and support needs of the different target population groups.MethodsThe Delphi process was used to synthesize expert opinions for each population group. Experts were chosen for their experience and expertise in the area of HIV and HIV screening for each population. Each group developed recommendations for a specific population: six high HIV prevalence populations (men who have sex with men; transgender people; substance users; migrants from sub-Saharan Africa; French West Indies; French Guiana) and two low prevalence populations (the general population; people under 25). Each group included expertise from four areas: research, screening and care, policy-making, and community groups.ResultsA final total of 263 recommendations were grouped into eight main themes: Communicating at both national and community levels about self-test arrival (24% of all recommendations); Providing information adapted to the different community groups’ needs (23%); Providing counselling on self-test use and access to care (15%); Making self-tests available to all in terms of accessibility and cost (13%); Preparing community healthcare and screening systems for the arrival of the self-test (11%); Approving only high quality self-tests (6%); Defending self-test users’ legal rights (5%); Evaluating self-test use (3%). Although a large number of recommendations were common to several groups of experts, the study highlighted a certain number of recommendations specific to each different population group, particularly with regard to information content and access both to information and to the self-tests themselves.ConclusionResults from the current study should make a significant contribution to policy decisions concerning catering for the specific access, information and support needs of different potential HIV self-test user groups in France.
Highlights
Screening plays a major role in current HIV prevention strategies [1,2,3,4,5]
One third would be men who have sex with men (MSM), one third heterosexual migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and the remaining third, heterosexuals born in France
The present study aimed to address these issues using a qualitative survey with HIV screening experts working with vulnerable or less vulnerable populations with regard to HIV, and with the principle objective of identifying the information and support needs of the different groups of potential self-test users in France
Summary
Screening plays a major role in current HIV prevention strategies [1,2,3,4,5]. in France, a large number of people at risk of acquiring HIV are not being tested, or are being tested too late [6,7,8], with serious consequences for the people involved [7] and a significantly increased risk of onward transmission to others [1]. Facilitating access to repeated screening opportunities for the more vulnerable groups with regard to HIV remains a major public health priority. Given this epidemiological context, the French Ministry of Health, based on reports by the National AIDS Council [10] and the National Ethics Committee [11], recently ruled in favor of making HIV self-tests available to the general public. The French Ministry of Health, based on reports by the National AIDS Council [10] and the National Ethics Committee [11], recently ruled in favor of making HIV self-tests available to the general public The first such test went on sale on September 15, 2015
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