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USE OF A RAPID HIV HOME TEST TO SCREEN POTENTIAL SEXUAL PARTNERS PREVENTS HIV EXPOSURE IN A HIGH RISK SAMPLE OF MSM Alex Carballo-Diéguez, Ivan Balan, Timothy Frasca, Curtis Dolezal, Juan Valladares
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USE OF A RAPID HIV HOME TEST TO SCREEN POTENTIAL SEXUAL PARTNERS PREVENTS HIV EXPOSURE IN A HIGH RISK SAMPLE OF MSM Alex Carballo-Diéguez, Ivan Balan, Timothy Frasca, Curtis Dolezal, Juan Valladares HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, NYS Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, New York, NY, USA This research was supported by a NIMH grant (R01-MH079692; PI, Alex Carballo-Diéguez, Ph.D.) and a NIMH center grant (P30-MH43520; PI: Anke A. Ehrhardt, Ph.D.).
Study Design • Prior work on high risk MSM (bareback sex) • Study Question • Would high-risk MSM be interested in testing their partners prior to receptive anal intercourse as a harm-reduction approach?
Study Design • Stage 1: Hypothetical use
Study Design • Stage 2: Actual use • Sample • 27 men (33% African American, 19% Latino, 41% White, 7% other; age range, 18 to 58) • Methods • CASI & unassisted HIV rapid self-test at baseline • 16 test kits given to participants for use over 3 months • 24-hour hotline run by 2 senior clinical psychologists • Weekly reports on use through phone reporting system • In-depth interview at 3 month follow-up visit
Results • Home Test Use Over 3-month Period • 124 partners were asked to use HT • 101 agreed • 23 refused • Partner resistance to HT was seen as a sign not to have UAI • Proposing HT use led 2 partners to disclose seropositivity • Mutual testing often took place • 10 tested individuals had positive results • 7 were prospective partners, 3 acquaintances • 6 were unaware of positive status • No UAI occurred when a partner was HIV-infected • Partners were verbally aggressive on 7 occasions (of 124) but no violence ensued.
Conclusions • Rapid HIV Home Testing … • is highly acceptable among high-risk MSM • can identify previously undetected cases of HIV infection • can prevent potential HIV transmission • allows users to modify their sexual behavior to decrease their own risk of HIV infection • can increase frequency of HIV testing in high-risk MSM • may become an important harm reduction technology • can reach network members who do not access the healthcare system