Understanding patient acceptance and refusal of HIV testing in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Despite high rates of patient satisfaction with emergency department (ED) HIV testing, acceptance varies widely. It is thought that patients who decline may be at higher risk for HIV infection, thus we sought to better understand patient acceptance and refusal of ED HIV testing. METHODS: In-depth interviews with fifty ED patients (28 accepters and 22 decliners of HIV testing) in three ED HIV testing programs that serve vulnerable urban populations in northern California. RESULTS: Many factors influenced the decision to accept ED HIV testing, including curiosity, reassurance of negative status, convenience, and opportunity. Similarly, a number of factors influenced the decision to decline HIV testing, including having been tested recently, the perception of being at low risk for HIV infection due to monogamy, abstinence or condom use, and wanting to focus on the medical reason for the ED visit. Both accepters and decliners viewed ED HIV testing favorably and nearly all participants felt comfortable with the testing experience, including the absence of counseling. While many participants who declined an ED HIV test had logical reasons, some participants also made clear that they would prefer not to know their HIV status rather than face psychosocial consequences such as loss of trust in a relationship or disclosure of status in hospital or public health records. CONCLUSIONS: Testing for HIV in the ED as for any other health problem reduces barriers to testing for some but not all patients. Patients who decline ED HIV testing may have rational reasons, but there are some patients who avoid HIV testing because of psychosocial ramifications. While ED HIV testing is generally acceptable, more targeted approaches to testing are necessary for this subgroup.

Effects of graded doses of testosterone on erythropoiesis in healthy young and older men.

CONTEXT: Erythrocytosis is a dose-limiting adverse effect of testosterone therapy, especially in older men. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to compare the dose-related changes in hemoglobin and hematocrit in young and older men and determine whether age-related differences in erythropoietic response to testosterone can be explained by changes in erythropoietin and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) levels. DESIGN: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a testosterone dose-response study in young and older men who received long-acting GnRH agonist monthly plus one of five weekly doses of testosterone enanthate (25, 50, 125, 300, or 600 mg im) for 20 wk. SETTING: The study took place at a General Clinical Research Center. PARTICIPANTS: Participants included 60 older men aged 60-75 yr and 61 young men aged 19-35 yr. OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measures included hematocrit and hemoglobin and serum erythropoietin and sTfR levels. RESULTS: Hemoglobin and hematocrit increased significantly in a linear, dose-dependent fashion in both young and older men in response to graded doses of testosterone (P<0.0001). The increases in hemoglobin and hematocrit were significantly greater in older than young men. There was no significant difference in percent change from baseline in erythropoietin or sTfR levels across groups in either young or older men. Changes in erythropoietin or sTfR levels were not significantly correlated with changes in total or free testosterone levels. CONCLUSIONS: Testosterone has a dose-dependent stimulatory effect on erythropoiesis in men that is more pronounced in older men. The testosterone-induced rise in hemoglobin and hematocrit and age-related differences in response to testosterone therapy may be mediated by factors other than erythropoietin and sTfR.

Prevalence and correlates of unknown HIV infection among patients seeking care in a public hospital emergency department.

OBJECTIVES: Screening for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the emergency department (ED) has been proposed as an effective approach to increase early HIV diagnosis. To evaluate the potential for the implementation of routine screening, we determined the prevalence of unknown HIV infection among patients being seen in an urban public hospital ED. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study among patients presenting to the San Francisco General Hospital's ED during March 2007. We reviewed patients' medical records to determine HIV infection status. In patients with unknown or negative HIV-infection status, we tested de-identified remnant blood specimens by HIV-antibody and nucleic-acid assays. We used a sensitive/less sensitive testing algorithm to determine the duration of HIV infection. RESULTS: During the study period, 1,820 patients had blood collected for clinical evaluation. Of those patients, 146 (8.0%) were known to be HIV-infected. Among the remaining 1,674 patients with unknown HIV-infection status, HIV-infection prevalence was 0.9% (15 of 1,674, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.55, 1.47). In addition, one case of acute HIV infection (HIV-antibody negative, HIV RNA detected) was identified. Patients with unknown HIV infection vs. those who were uninfected were more likely to be homeless (odds ratio [OR] = 3.89, 95% CI 1.32, 11.45, p<0.05) and 18 to 30 years of age (OR=3.15, 95% CI 1.03, 9.61, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In a sample of patients visiting a county ED, the relative prevalence of unknown HIV infection (10%) was modest and less than national estimates (25%). Acutely HIV-infected patients might account for a significant proportion of those with unknown HIV infection in an ED setting.

Cash incentives versus defaults for HIV testing: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Tools from behavioral economics have been shown to improve health-related behaviors, but the relative efficacy and additive effects of different types of interventions are not well established. We tested the influence of small cash incentives, defaults, and both in combination on increasing patient HIV test acceptance. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a randomized clinical trial among patients aged 13-64 receiving care in an urban emergency department. Patients were cross-randomized to $0, $1, $5, and $10 incentives, and to opt-in, active-choice, and opt-out test defaults. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who accepted an HIV test. 4,831 of 8,715 patients accepted an HIV test (55.4%). Those offered no monetary incentive accepted 51.6% of test offers. The $1 treatment did not increase test acceptance (increase 1%; 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.0 to 3.9); the $5 and $10 treatments increased test acceptance rates by 10.5 and 15 percentage points, respectively (95% CI 7.5 to 13.4 and 11.8 to 18.1). Compared to opt-in testing, active-choice testing increased test acceptance by 11.5% (95% CI 9.0 to 14.0), and opt-out testing increased acceptance by 23.9 percentage points (95% CI 21.4 to 26.4). CONCLUSIONS: Small incentives and defaults can both increase patient HIV test acceptance, though when used in combination their effects were less than additive. These tools from behavioral economics should be considered by clinicians and policymakers. How patient groups respond to monetary incentives and/or defaults deserves further investigation for this and other health behaviors.

Patient choice in opt-in, active choice, and opt-out HIV screening: randomized clinical trial.

STUDY QUESTION: What is the effect of default test offers--opt-in, opt-out, and active choice--on the likelihood of acceptance of an HIV test among patients receiving care in an emergency department? METHODS: This was a randomized clinical trial conducted in the emergency department of an urban teaching hospital and regional trauma center. Patients aged 13-64 years were randomized to opt-in, opt-out, and active choice HIV test offers. The primary outcome was HIV test acceptance percentage. The Denver Risk Score was used to categorize patients as being at low, intermediate, or high risk of HIV infection. STUDY ANSWER AND LIMITATIONS: 38.0% (611/1607) of patients in the opt-in testing group accepted an HIV test, compared with 51.3% (815/1628) in the active choice arm (difference 13.3%, 95% confidence interval 9.8% to 16.7%) and 65.9% (1031/1565) in the opt-out arm (difference 27.9%, 24.4% to 31.3%). Compared with active choice testing, opt-out testing led to a 14.6 (11.1 to 18.1) percentage point increase in test acceptance. Patients identified as being at intermediate and high risk were more likely to accept testing than were those at low risk in all arms (difference 6.4% (3.4% to 9.3%) for intermediate and 8.3% (3.3% to 13.4%) for high risk). The opt-out effect was significantly smaller among those reporting high risk behaviors, but the active choice effect did not significantly vary by level of reported risk behavior. Patients consented to inclusion in the study after being offered an HIV test, and inclusion varied slightly by treatment assignment. The study took place at a single county hospital in a city that is somewhat unique with respect to HIV testing; although the test acceptance percentages themselves might vary, a different pattern for opt-in versus active choice versus opt-out test schemes would not be expected. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: Active choice is a distinct test regimen, with test acceptance patterns that may best approximate patients' true preferences. Opt-out regimens can substantially increase HIV testing, and opt-in schemes may reduce testing, compared with active choice testing. FUNDING, COMPETING INTERESTS, DATA SHARING: This study was supported by grant NIA 1RC4AG039078 from the National Institute on Aging. The full dataset is available from the corresponding author. Consent for data sharing was not obtained, but the data are anonymized and risk of identification is low.Trial registration Clinical trials NCT01377857.

Beta-human chorionic gonadotropin levels and the likelihood of ectopic pregnancy in emergency department patients with abdominal pain or vaginal bleeding.

UNLABELLED: Strategies for diagnosing ectopic pregnancy that defer endovaginal ultrasound in women with suggestive symptoms and serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) levels less than 1500 mIU/mL ignore the increased risk of ectopic pregnancy in these patients. OBJECTIVE: To quantify this increased risk by establishing and comparing the beta-hCG distributions of symptomatic women with ectopic pregnancies, abnormal intrauterine pregnancies, and normal intrauterine pregnancies. METHODS: The authors reviewed the records of a cohort of women who visited an urban emergency department (ED) during a 34-month period with abdominal pain or vaginal bleeding and non-zero quantitative beta-hCG levels. Explicit criteria were used to determine whether the pregnancy ultimately turned out to be intrauterine and normal, intrauterine and abnormal, or ectopic. Probability distributions were compared using frequency distributions, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and likelihood ratios. RESULTS: Of 730 ED patients included in the analysis, 96 (13%) had ectopic pregnancies, 253 (35%) had abnormal intrauterine pregnancies, and 381 (52%) had normal intrauterine pregnancies. The beta-hCG distributions of patients with ectopic pregnancies and abnormal intrauterine pregnancies were similar and much lower than the beta-hCG distribution of patients with normal intrauterine pregnancies. A beta-hCG level less than 1500 mIU/mL more than doubled the odds of ectopic pregnancy (likelihood ratio = 2.24). Of the 158 patients with beta-hCG below 1500 mIU/mL, 40 (25%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 19% to 32%) had ectopic pregnancies, and only 25 (16%; CI = 11% to 22%) had normal intrauterine pregnancies. CONCLUSIONS: In women with pain or bleeding and serum beta-hCG levels less than 1500 mIU/mL, the risk of ectopic pregnancy is substantially increased, while the likelihood of normal intrauterine pregnancy is low.

Cost-effectiveness of targeted human immunodeficiency virus screening in an urban emergency department.

OBJECTIVES: Although targeted screening of patients at high risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the emergency department (ED) improves patient outcomes and may prevent HIV transmission, ED-based screening programs incur additional costs and have thus not been widely scaled up. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of ED-based targeted HIV screening as implemented in actual practice. METHODS: This was a cost-utility analysis of a rapid HIV screening program in an urban ED. Physicians were encouraged to screen patients undergoing inpatient admission or who had HIV risk factors. The authors measured costs directly and estimated quality-adjusted life expectancy using chart review, literature assumptions, and mathematical modeling. Incremental cost utility was evaluated from a societal perspective using a lifetime time horizon. RESULTS: From June 2008 through September 2009, a total of 3,766 HIV tests were ordered (235 tests per month), of which an estimated 2,406 (64%) represented screening in patients without HIV-related signs or symptoms. Nineteen (0.8%) patients were newly diagnosed through screening during the study period, of whom nine (47%) were eligible for antiretroviral therapy (ART) and maintained consistent outpatient follow-up. Estimated screening costs were $82,300 per year, or $45.53 per screening test, of which $28.01 (62%) was for program management. Targeted screening prevented an estimated 2.1 HIV transmission events over 16 months. Per patient screened, targeted screening saved $112 (95% uncertainty range [UR] = $20 to $225) and resulted in 2.71 quality-adjusted life-days gained (95% UR = 1.71 to 4.01). Cost-utility was most sensitive to the prevalence of undiagnosed HIV in the screened population. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted HIV screening, as implemented in an urban ED, is cost saving and increases quality-adjusted life expectancy.

Testing and linkage to care outcomes for a clinician-initiated rapid HIV testing program in an urban emergency department.

The urban emergency department is an important site for the detection of HIV infection. Current research has focused on strategies to increase HIV testing in the emergency department. As more emergency department HIV cases are identified, there need to be well-defined systems for linkage to care. We conducted a retrospective study of rapid HIV testing in an urban public emergency department and level I trauma center from June 1, 2008, to March 31, 2010. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the increase in the number of tests and new HIV diagnoses resulting from the addition of targeted testing to clinician-initiated diagnostic testing, describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with newly diagnosed HIV infection, and assess the effectiveness of an HIV clinic based linkage to care team. Of 96,711 emergency department visits, there were 5340 (5.5%) rapid HIV tests performed, representing 4827 (91.3%) unique testers, of whom 62.4% were male and 60.8% were from racial/ethnic minority groups. After the change in testing strategy, the median number of tests per month increased from 114 to 273 (p=0.004), and the median number of new diagnoses per month increased from 1.5 to 4 (p=0.01). From all tests conducted, there were 65 new diagnoses of HIV infection (1.2%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.9%, 1.5%). The linkage team connected over 90% of newly diagnosed and out-of-care HIV-infected patients to care. In summary, the addition of targeted testing to diagnostic testing increased new HIV case identification, and an HIV clinic-based team was effective at linkage to care.

The effects of injected testosterone dose and age on the conversion of testosterone to estradiol and dihydrotestosterone in young and older men.

BACKGROUND: During testosterone (T) therapy, T is partly converted to 17beta-estradiol (E2) and 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Effects of age, testosterone dose, and body composition on total and free E2 and DHT levels are unknown. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated age and dose-related differences in E2 and DHT levels in response to graded doses of testosterone enanthate in young and older men. METHODS: Fifty-one young (aged 19-35 yr) and 52 older (aged 59-75 yr) men completed treatment with monthly injections of a GnRH agonist plus randomly assigned weekly doses of testosterone enanthate (25, 50, 125, 300, or 600 mg) for 5 months. RESULTS: During testosterone administration, total and free E2 levels increased dose-dependently (dose effect, P<0.001) in both young and older men. Total and free E2 levels and E2:T ratios during T administration were higher in older than young men, but age-related differences in free E2 and free E2:T ratios were not significant after adjusting for testosterone levels, percentage fat mass, and SHBG. DHT levels and DHT:T ratios were dose-related but did not differ between young and older men. Mechanistic modeling of free hormone data revealed that the conversions of T to E2 and DHT were both consistent with saturable Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The in vivo Km values were estimated to be 1.83 nm for aromatase and 3.35 nm for 5alpha-reductase, independent of age. The Vmax parameter for E2 was 40% higher in older men than younger men, but Vmax for DHT was not significantly different between age groups. CONCLUSIONS: During im testosterone administration, E2 and DHT levels exhibit saturable increases with dose. The rate of whole body aromatization is higher in older men, partly related to their higher percentage fat mass, SHBG, and testosterone levels.

Simplifying consent for HIV testing is associated with an increase in HIV testing and case detection in highest risk groups, San Francisco January 2003-June 2007.

BACKGROUND: Populations at highest risk for HIV infection face multiple barriers to HIV testing. To facilitate HIV testing procedures, the San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center eliminated required written patient consent for HIV testing in its medical settings in May 2006. To describe the change in HIV testing rates in different hospital settings and populations after the change in HIV testing policy in the SFDH medical center, we performed an observational study using interrupted time series analysis. METHODS: Data from all patients aged 18 years and older seen from January 2003 through June 2007 at the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) medical care system were included in the analysis. The monthly HIV testing rate per 1000 had patient-visits was calculated for the overall population and stratified by hospital setting, age, sex, race/ethnicity, homelessness status, insurance status and primary language. RESULTS: By June 2007, the average monthly rate of HIV tests per 1000 patient-visits increased 4.38 (CI, 2.17-6.60, p<0.001) over the number predicted if the policy change had not occurred (representing a 44% increase). The monthly average number of new positive HIV tests increased from 8.9 (CI, 6.3-11.5) to 14.9 (CI, 10.6-19.2, p<0.001), representing a 67% increase. Although increases in HIV testing were seen in all populations, populations at highest risk for HIV infection, particularly men, the homeless, and the uninsured experienced the highest increases in monthly HIV testing rates after the policy change. CONCLUSIONS: The elimination of the requirement for written consent in May 2006 was associated with a significant and sustained increase in HIV testing rates and HIV case detection in the SFDPH medical center. Populations facing the higher barriers to HIV testing had the highest increases in HIV testing rates and case detection in response to the policy change.