Quality Improvement in Physician Disclosure and Linkage to Care of Those Newly Diagnosed With HIV in an Urban Level I Trauma Center Emergency Department Performing Universal Screening

Abstract

In spite of improvements in treatment, HIV/AIDS remains one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. In the year prior to diagnosis, 75% of patients with HIV will visit an emergency department (ED). With this in mind, the 2006 CDC guidelines recommended rapid routine opt-out HIV screening in emergency departments [ED] for patients age 13-64. EDs now account for 8% of testing venues but 29.9% of all tests and 32% of all HIV diagnoses. However, the rate of informing patients of their positive result was 93% and only 78% were linked, defined as a single appointment scheduled, to an HIV care provider.