ResearchProjects

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend routine HIV screening in clinical settings, including emergency departments (EDs), because earlier diagnosis enables treatment before symptoms develop and delivery of interventions to reduce continued transmission. However, patients frequently decline testing. This project developed and conducted a preliminary evaluation of a computer-based video intervention designed to increase HIV test acceptance in hospital emergency departments (EDs) across the United States. Undiagnosed cases of HIV present a significant public health problem, as people who do not know they are infected cannot receive treatment, and may unknowingly spread HIV to others. The intervention developed in this study can be used not only to offer HIV testing to more patients, but to increase the number of patients who agree to be tested.