Attributes of diagnostic tests to increase uptake of dual testing for syphilis and HIV in Port-au-Prince, Haiti
International Journal of STD & AIDS: Clinical practice in sexual health
Published online on March 31, 2016
Abstract
Syphilis and HIV screening is highly recommended for pregnant women and those at risk for infection. We used conjoint analysis to identify factors associated with testing preferences for HIV and syphilis infection.
We recruited 298 men and women 18 years and over seeking testing or care at GHESKIO (Haitian Study Group for Kaposi’s Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections) clinics. We created eight hypothetical dual HIV-syphilis test profiles varying across six dichotomous attributes. Participants were asked to rate each profile using Likert preference scales. An impact score was generated for each attribute by taking the difference between the preference scores for the preferred and non-preferred level of each attribute. Two-sided one-sample t-test was used to generate p values.
Of 298 study participants, 61 (20.5%) were male. Of 237 females, 49 (20.7%) were pregnant. Cost (free vs. US$4; p < .0001) had the highest impact on willingness to test, followed by number of blood draws (1 vs. 2; p < .0001), blood draw method (fingerprick vs. venipuncture; p < .0001), test type (rapid vs. laboratory; p = .0005), and time-to-result (20 minutes vs. 1 week; p = .0139).
HIV and syphilis testing preferences for this study sample in Port-au-Prince prioritized cost, single fingerprick, laboratory-based testing and timeliness.