TESTING FOR HIV ANTIBODY - A COMPARISON OF 2 SERVICES OFFERED IN A GENITOURINARY MEDICINE CLINIC

Rates of screening for sexually transmissible infections in patients u sing different services provided by a genitourinary medicine clinic fo r testing for HIV antibodies are presented. Those patients whose prima ry reason for attending the clinic was HIV antibody testing and used t he same day result (SDR) service were significantly less likely to be screened fo other infections than those using the normal waiting time (NWT) service, (P<0.00001). This was true for both males and females. Of those patients screened for other infections in the SDR and NWT gro ups 29% and 35% respectively were found to have sexually transmitted i nfection. It would appear that an SDR service offers little benefit fo r the majority of patients as only a few patients would not have had a n HIV antibody test had the SDR not been available.