title: HIV testing for acute medical admissions: evaluation of a pilot study in Leicester, England.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The 2008 UK National Guidelines for HIV testing recommended HIV testing should be offered to all general medical admissions aged 16-60 years in high prevalence areas, and that this should be evaluated to ensure this was effective in diagnosing previously undiagnosed HIV.
  
  
  METHODS
  HIV testing was introduced as a routine test for all patients admitted to the acute medical admissions unit, comparisons were made between the testing rates before, during and after this intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The pilot was initiated in August 2009. Prior to the pilot the unit was carrying out 15 tests per month. However, when the pilot was introduced 82 tests were being carried out per month with a total of 10 new diagnoses since the start of the pilot. The proportion of patients tested versus those eligible for testing remained low varying between 6% and 22% month by month. 10 patients we found to be HIV positive with a prevalence of approximately 1%, 10 fold higher than the cut off for cost effectiveness used in the guidelines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall the pilot showed that HIV testing could be delivered without the use of extra resources and is acceptable to patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genito-Urinary Medicine, NHS Trust, University Hospitals Leicester, Jarvis Building, Infirmary Close, Leicester, UK. adrian.palfreeman@uhl-tr.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palfreeman
authors.forename: Farai
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nyatsanza
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Farn
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McKinnon
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schober
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McNally
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015995:Prevalence; D015397:Program Evaluation
keywords: Clinical Care (General); HIV; HIV Testing