Will an Unsupervised Self-Testing Strategy Be Feasible to Operationalize in Canada? Results from a Pilot Study in Students of a Large Canadian University

Abstract EN

Background.

A convenient, private, and accessible HIV self-testing strategy stands to complement facility-based conventional testing.

Over-the-counter oral HIV self-tests are approved and available in the United States, but not yet in Canada.

Canadian data on self-testing is nonexistent.

We investigated the feasibility of offering an unsupervised self-testing strategy to Canadian students.

Methods.

Between September 2011 and May 2012, we recruited 145 students from a student health clinic of a large Canadian university.

Feasibility of operationalization (i.e., self-test conduct, acceptability, convenience, and willingness to pay) was evaluated.

Self-test conduct was computed with agreement between the self-test performed by the student and the test repeated by a healthcare professional.

Other metrics were measured on a survey.

Results.

Participants were young (median age: 22 years), unmarried (97%), and 47% were out of province or international students.

Approximately 52% self-reported a history of unprotected casual sex and sex with multiple partners.

Self-test conduct agreement was high (100%), so were acceptability (81%), convenience (99%), and willingness to pay (74%) for self-tests.

Concerns included accuracy of self-tests and availability of expedited linkages.

Conclusion.

An unsupervised self-testing strategy was found to be feasible in Canadian students.

Findings call for studies in at-risk populations to inform Canadian policy.