title: Characterization of patients accepting and refusing routine, voluntary HIV antibody testing in public sexually transmitted disease clinics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the proportion of HIV-infected sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic patients identified during routine, voluntary HIV counseling and testing and to characterize patients accepting and refusing counseling and testing, we linked data from a blinded HIV seroprevalence survey to data from the HIV counseling and testing program.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study characterizes patients accepting and refusing routine HIV counseling and testing in two public STD clinics.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional, blinded HIV seroprevalence survey was conducted of 1,232 STD clinic patients offered HIV counseling and testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HIV seroprevalence was higher among patients who refused voluntary testing (7.8% versus 3.6%, P = 0.001). Patients who refused testing were more likely to report a prior HIV test (45.6% versus 27.2%; P < 0.001). Among patients reporting a prior HIV test, differences were noted between reported prior results, both positive and negative, and blinded results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HIV-infected STD patients may not be detected by routine HIV testing, and self-reported HIV results should be confirmed.
authors.affiliation: Baltimore City Health Department, MD 21202.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Groseclose
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Glasser
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Hook
mesh_terms: D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis; D000328:Adult; D015142:Baltimore / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000523:psychology*; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D016312:Treatment Refusal