HIV testing in Europe: Evaluating the impact, added value, relevance and usability of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)'s 2010 HIV testing guidance.

Ann K Sullivan,Andrew J Amato-Gauci,Yazdan Yazdanpanah,Stine Finne Jakobsen,Lara Tavoschi,Jens Dilling Lundgren,Dorthe Raben,Ida Sperle

doi:10.2807/1560-7917.es.2017.22.48.17-00323

Abstract

Background: An evaluation of the 2010 ECDC guidance on HIV testing, conducted in October 2015–January 2016, assessed its impact, added value, relevance and usability and the need for updated guidance. Methods: Data sources were two surveys: one for the primary target audience (health policymakers and decision makers, national programme managers and ECDC official contact points in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries and one for a broader target audience (clinicians, civil society organisations and international public health agencies); two moderated focus group discussions (17 participants each); webpage access data; a literature citation review; and an expert consultation (18 participants) to discuss the evaluation findings. Results: Twenty-three of 28 primary target audience and 31 of 51 broader target audience respondents indicated the guidance was the most relevant when compared with other international guidance. Primary target audience respondents in 11 of 23 countries reported that they had used the guidance in development, monitoring and/or evaluation of their national HIV testing policy, guidelines, programme and/or strategy, and 29 of 51 of the broader target audience respondents reported having used the guidance in their work. Both the primary and broader target audience considered it important or very important to have an EU/EEA-level HIV testing guidance (23/28 and 46/51, respectively). Conclusion: The guidance has been widely used to develop policies, guidelines, programmes and strategies in the EU/EEA and should be regularly updated due to continuous developments in the field in order to continue to serve as an important reference guidance in the region.

Highlights

According to the 2015 joint European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) HIV surveillance report, rates of HIV testing among populations most at risk of HIV in the WHO European Region were low overall, and a considerable proportion of people who are infected with HIV are not aware of being infected [1]
Rates of late diagnosis of HIV were high at 47%, among newly diagnosed in 2015 which has not changed significantly in the European Union/ European Economic Area (EU/EEA) since 2010 [1,2]
The findings indicate there is a high level of awareness of the guidance, that it has reached a wider audience than the intended audience, that it is perceived to be relevant and useful, and that it adds value by providing an EU/EEA-wide perspective

Summary

Introduction

According to the 2015 joint European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) HIV surveillance report, rates of HIV testing among populations most at risk of HIV in the WHO European Region were low overall, and a considerable proportion of people who are infected with HIV are not aware of being infected [1] This means that many who need treatment are not receiving it because they have not been diagnosed and linked to care. Primary target audience respondents in 11 of 23 countries reported that they had used the guidance in development, monitoring and/or evaluation of their national HIV testing policy, guidelines, programme and/or strategy, and 29 of 51 of the broader target audience respondents reported having used the guidance in their work. Conclusion: The guidance has been widely used to develop policies, guidelines, programmes and strategies in the EU/EEA and should be regularly updated due to continuous developments in the field in order to continue to serve as an important reference guidance in the region

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Conclusion