Universal HIV Screening in Ambulatory Care Settings

Abstract

Statistics reveal that clinicians are not offering or recommending routine HIV screening in almost all health care settings, despite strongly recommended clinical guidelines published in 2006 and 2013. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that less than half of the US population aged 18–64 years has ever been tested for HIV.1,2 To increase HIV screening rates, it is crucial to provide education on the guidelines and a mechanism for readily available testing to increase HIV screening rates. Employing evidence-based universal screening will potentially identify new HIV diagnoses earlier. Timely identification decreases the spread of HIV, reduces the complications from living with HIV, and provides significant cost savings. Undiagnosed persons living with HIV pose a substantial epidemiologic risk. Without increased HIV screening and linkage to care, ending the HIV epidemic within the United States will be unattainable.