A Systematic Review of Technology-Assisted HIV Testing Interventions

AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe purpose of this review is to describe and assess the literature on mobile health (mHealth) and other technology-based HIV testing interventions published in the 5-year period from 2015 to 2020.Recent FindingsWe identified 18 published technology-based studies, 6 of which were efficacy trials and the remaining 12 were either pilot randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-experimental studies. Most (n = 10) interventions were conducted outside the USA, including countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (n = 4), China (n = 3), Latin America (n = 2), and India (n = 1). All efficacy trials showed some evidence of efficacy, although uptake of HIV testing was low among in intervention trials that consisted of a low number of text messages. Most pilot RCTs demonstrated high levels of feasibility and acceptability, as well as some evidence that the intervent ion participants benefited more than the control group. Many non-randomized trials similarly reported positive appraisal by study participants. Recommendations for future research and practice by the authors of the studies reviewed here are summarized.SummaryTechnology-assisted HIV testing interventions may be an important strategy to reach national and global targets for HIV status awareness in the general population and for most at-risk groups. Although there appears to be growing evidence of their benefit, questions linger regarding how to leverage existing social media platforms to p...
Source: Current HIV/AIDS Reports - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research