– Epidemiological Methods
While significant efforts have been made to fight HIV, there exist a high number of infected persons. Statistical findings indicate that at least 1.2 million individuals in the US are presently infected (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, 2013). However, there is still a substantial number of people who are HIV positive but unaware of their status.
Screening is increasingly critical in early detection and management of the infection. Early diagnosis also provides data for surveillance to facilitate the control of infection (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services & Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2013), the rapid HIV screening test is the recommended tool for the diagnosis of the infection. The screening tool uses either blood or oral fluids and yields outcomes in 5 to 40 minutes (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, 2013). This test targets teenagers and older people who are aged between 15-65 years, as well as all expectant women (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, 2013). However, the test has not been individually tested for this age bracket. The recommendation for this age is consistent with the precepts of population-based care, which focuses on groups that have a high risk of infection (Curley & Vitale, 2016). Regular screening is stipulated for persons who experience an enhanced risk of infection.
The utilization of the rapid HIV screening test is informed by its high predictive ability. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2013) suggest that the diagnostic tool has a sensitivity and specificity of over 99.5%, thus indicating its validity and reliability. Despite the high rating, Tan et al. (2016) argue that the rapid HIV test is less sensitive, especially in high-income countries. This assertion is also supported by Boadu, Darko, Nortey, Akweongo, and Sarfo (2016), who opine that the rapid HIV screening approach has a lower predictive value and may fail to detect recent infections. The sensitivity of the test among individuals infected with major variants of HIV is poor (Mourez et al., 2018). However, it is preferred because it produces results within a short time, inexpensive, and requires minimal expertise to use (Boadu et al., 2016). As such, further tests are recommended to confirm one’s HIV status. Despite the shortcoming of the test, I will incorporate it in my advanced practice owing to its ability to screen a large number of people and the rapid provision of results.