title: Implementation of rapid HIV and HCV testing within harm reduction programmes for people who inject drugs: a pilot study.
abstract: Including HCV and HIV rapid tests in harm reduction programmes (HRP) for people who inject drugs (PWID) can increase detection of these infections in high-risk populations who do not seek conventional health care.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess acceptability and feasibility of rapid HIV and HCV tests in HRP; to identify HIV and HCV prevalence rates in HRP; to identify the percentage of PWID with a reactive test that attend hospital for confirmation and follow-up. Rapid oral tests for HCV and HIV were offered to users of 13 HRP from both mobile units and facility-based centres. A total of 172 HCV and 198 HIV tests were performed, with a refusal rate of 1.7% and 10.4%, respectively. Injectors made up 64.9% of all drug users and 35.1% did not inject drugs. Overall, 20.3% of HCV tests and 2.5% of HIV test were reactive. Only 24 of the 35 reactive HCV could be confirmed (68.6%) and one was false-negative. Of the five HIV reactive cases, only two could be confirmed (40%) with 1 false-positive case. Acceptability of rapid HIV and HCV tests among HRP users was high. The usefulness of oral rapid tests in HRP has been demonstrated, especially in mobile HRP.
authors.affiliation: a Centre for Epidemiological Studies on HIV/STI in Catalonia (CEEISCAT) , Institut Catala d'Oncologia (ICO), Agencia de Salut Publica de Catalunya (ASPC), Generalitat de Catalunya , Badalona , Spain.|b CIBER Epidemiologia y Salud Pública (CIBERESP) , Madrid , Spain.|c Fundació Institut d'Investigacio Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP) , Badalona , Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fernàndez-López
authors.affiliation: a Centre for Epidemiological Studies on HIV/STI in Catalonia (CEEISCAT) , Institut Catala d'Oncologia (ICO), Agencia de Salut Publica de Catalunya (ASPC), Generalitat de Catalunya , Badalona , Spain.|b CIBER Epidemiologia y Salud Pública (CIBERESP) , Madrid , Spain.|c Fundació Institut d'Investigacio Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP) , Badalona , Spain.
authors.forename: Cinta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Folch
authors.affiliation: d Subdirecció General de Drogodependències , Agència de Salut Pública de Catalunya , Barcelona , Spain.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Majó
authors.affiliation: d Subdirecció General de Drogodependències , Agència de Salut Pública de Catalunya , Barcelona , Spain.
authors.forename: Laia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gasulla
authors.affiliation: a Centre for Epidemiological Studies on HIV/STI in Catalonia (CEEISCAT) , Institut Catala d'Oncologia (ICO), Agencia de Salut Publica de Catalunya (ASPC), Generalitat de Catalunya , Badalona , Spain.|b CIBER Epidemiologia y Salud Pública (CIBERESP) , Madrid , Spain.|c Fundació Institut d'Investigacio Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP) , Badalona , Spain.|e Departament de Pediatria, d'Obstetricia i Ginecologia i de Medicina Preventiva i de Salut Publica , Univ Autonoma Barcelona , Badalona , Spain.
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Casabona
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055030:Drug Users / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D040261:Harm Reduction; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015995:Prevalence; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: HCV; HIV; IDU; harm reduction programmes; rapid tests