955 - Addressing Gaps and Disparities in HIV testing in the Emergency Department

Background: Early diagnosis of HIV is key to improving outcomes for persons living with HIV (PWH). The Emergency Department (ED) is a critical site for PWH to access care. Previous studies in South Carolina (SC) have shown that two-thirds of individuals newly diagnosed with HIV have visited a health care facility a mean 7 times prior to their HIV diagnosis. Over 80% of these visits were to the ED, thus representing missed opportunities. Failure to test results from a multitude of barriers, including avoidance of testing due to a perceived lack of follow up. To address this gap in care we established a rapid HIV engagement team (RHET) that assumes responsibility for post-HIV testing linkage and reporting. The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention.Table 1: Baseline Characteristics


Methods: This retrospective cohort study compared HIV testing rates and patterns in Prisma Health EDs from May 2018 through October 2018 (pre-RHET) to 5/2019 through 10/2019 (post-RHET). Included persons were ≥18 years of age and had ICD-10 codes for a sexually transmitted infection (STI), trichomonas, herpes simplex, and gonorrhea (GC) or Chlamydia (CT) NAAT, and/or presented with an initial complaint of a STI. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was utilized to examine impact of RHET implementation on HIV testing in ED.

Results: A total of 4104 individuals were identified, 2154 pre-RHET and 1950 post-RHET. Table 1 displays baseline characteristics for the two groups. Overall, 87% had GC testing; 9% had positive results; 95% had CT testing, 12.6% had positive results. Only 6% were tested for HIV pre-RHET implementation. HIV testing improved to 12% post-PHET implementation (p< 0.001). In the multivariate regression analysis predictors for HIV testing were presenting post-RHET (OR 2.27; 95% CI 1.81 to 2.85), male gender (OR 2.98; 95% CI 2.39 to 3.73), white race (OR 2.27; 95% CI 1.81 to 2.85), and presenting to ED for STI (OR 3.58; 95% CI 2.03 6.33).

Conclusion: HIV testing rates increased post-RHET yet, despite indications for HIV testing, only a small proportion received HIV testing. Further interventions are needed to improve HIV testing in EDs, particularly in women and blacks. The overall HIV testing rate remained low, representing ongoing missed opportunities for early HIV diagnosis.