title: Effects of rapid versus standard HIV voluntary counselling and testing on receipt rate of HIV test results: a meta-analysis.
abstract: Rapid HIV voluntary counselling and testing (RVCT) is an alternative method of standard HIV voluntary counselling and testing (SVCT). Less is known about whether RVCT improves the receipt rate of HIV test results among clients who seek HIV counselling and testing. We aimed to evaluate effectiveness of RVCT on result receipt rate. We conducted a comprehensive search of databases containing Medline, EBSCO, Web of science, and Cochrane library to identify studies published up to August 2012. Reviewers extracted information independently. Risk of bias was evaluated with Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing study quality. Five randomised controlled trials were included and analysed for the result receipt rate using a random-effects model. The pooled receipt rate of HIV test results in the RVCT was significantly higher than in the SVCT (RR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.47-2.07). Our results suggest RVCT as a favourable method to increase the receipt of HIV test results. Only two included studies assessed the modification of risk behaviour after HIV-CT in a different manner; also, the sample size was small in the current meta-analysis. In future research, it is necessary to confirm the effect of RVCT on disinhibition of post-test risk behaviour.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of AIDS control and prevention, Tianjin Binhai New Area Tanggu Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China gjr20120319@163.com.
authors.forename: Wenli
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D035141:Voluntary Programs
keywords: AIDS; HIV; VCT; meta-analysis; randomized HIV counselling and testing; rapid HIV counselling and testing; standard HIV counselling and testing; testing