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This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2007.111567v1 98/4/736    most recent Submit a response Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Bogart, L. M. Articles by Asch, S. M. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bogart, L. M. Articles by Asch, S. M. Related Collections HIV/AIDS Prevention Screening

Laura M. Bogart, PhD, Devery Howerton, PhD, James Lange, PhD, Kirsten Becker, MPH, Claude Messan Setodji, PhD and Steven M. Asch, MD, MPH

Laura M. Bogart, Kirsten Becker, and Claude Messan Setodji are with RAND Corp, Santa Monica, Calif. Devery Howerton and James Lange are in the Laboratory Practice Evaluation and Genomics Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga. Steven M. Asch is with RAND Corp, Santa Monica, and Veterans Affairs, Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, Calif.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Laura M. Bogart, PhD, RAND Corp, 1776 Main St, PO Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 (e-mail: lbog-art{at}rand.org).

Objectives. We examined patterns of rapid HIV testing in a multistage national random sample of private, nonprofit, urban community clinics and community-based organizations to determine the extent of rapid HIV test availability outside the public health system.

Methods. We randomly sampled 12 primary metropolitan statistical areas in 4 regions; 746 sites were randomly sampled across areas and telephoned. Staff at 575 of the sites (78%) were reached, of which 375 were eligible and subsequently interviewed from 2005 to 2006.

Results. Seventeen percent of the sites offered rapid HIV tests (22% of clinics, 10% of community-based organizations). In multivariate models, rapid test availability was more likely among community clinics in the South (vs West), clinics in high HIV/AIDS prevalence areas, clinics with on-site laboratories and multiple locations, and clinics that performed other diagnostic tests.

Conclusions. Rapid HIV tests were provided infrequently in private, nonprofit, urban community settings. Policies that encourage greater diffusion of rapid testing are needed, especially in community-based organizations and venues with fewer resources and less access to laboratories.