Do you have the time--or the money--to offer HIV screenings?
If you want to have a successful HIV testing program, make sure you have sufficient financing in place, sufficient time to handle the additional testing, and adequate counseling staff available. New guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encourage all EDs to offer HIV testing. Plan on annual costs of dollar 300,000- dollar 400,000. If your hospital won't provide the funds, government grants are an excellent source. If you can't hire counselors, form a partnership with your public health department. New rapid testing can cut down on time constraints; be aware, however, that they are not 100% accurate.
D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration; D014481:United States