title: Routine feedback of test results to participants in clinic- and survey-based surveillance of HIV.
abstract: Surveillance for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in low- and middle-income countries started in the 1980s. However, the questions of whether the results of HIV tests should be given to participants, and if so how, has still not been resolved. In the absence of effective treatment, it was considered acceptable to withhold results from HIV-positive participants. However, when antiretroviral treatment is available, some argue for beneficence - that it is the researcher's duty to return the test results to all those who provide samples for surveillance. The corollary is that only participants who wish to receive their test results would be eligible to participate in surveys. Others argue for autonomy - that to obtain a more representative result for the general population, surveys should not exclude participants who do not wish to receive their test results. This round table discussion takes a closer look at those two arguments. We believe that the global community should work towards routine feedback of HIV surveillance while ensuring that participants receive and understand their test results.
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, avenue Appia 20, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland .
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baggaley
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, avenue Appia 20, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland .
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, avenue Appia 20, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland .
authors.forename: Jesus Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Garcia Calleja
authors.affiliation: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Geneva, Switzerland .
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sabin
authors.affiliation: American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon .
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Obermeyer
authors.affiliation: Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, England .
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taegtmeyer
authors.affiliation: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, England .
authors.forename: Basia
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zaba
authors.affiliation: Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia .
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: El-Hayek
authors.affiliation: CAPRISA, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa .
authors.forename: Jerome Amir
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D028701:Patient Rights / Q000941:ethics*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations / Q000941:ethics; D011159:Population Surveillance; D014480:United Nations
chemical_list: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents