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National HIV/AIDS Program

	Providers' Home > HIV/AIDS Topics > Testing and Counseling	Enlarge Text Size:

HIV/AIDS Topics

Testing and Counseling

Contents

VA Policies & Notifications

VA Policies & Notifications

CDC's Revised Recommendations for HIV Testing
Memorandum, September 22, 2006
Need for Routine Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Risk Assessment and Testing
Information Letter 10-2005-017, September 2, 2005
Revised HIV Testing Consent Form
Memorandum, January 6, 2005
Consent for HIV Testing for Patients who Lack Decision-Making Ability
Directive 2002-048, September 6, 2002
Case Reporting of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) to State and Local Health Authorities by VA Facilities and Providers
Information Letter 10-2001-002, February 13, 2001
HIV Testing to Prevent Perinatal Transmission
Information Letter IL 10-2003-005, July 3, 2003

Guidelines

Revised Recommendations for HIV Testing of Adults, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women in Health-Care Settings
CDC, September 21, 2006
Guidelines for HIV Testing in VA Facilities Following Occupational Exposures
VA Undersecretary of Health, July 18, 2001

Overview

HIV Testing and Counseling of VA Patients
Includes VA policy on confidential testing, informed consent, pre- and post-test counseling requirements, partner nofication, and referral guidance
Facts about Early Diagnosis of HIV Infection
Factsheet on the importance of early diagnosis of HIV infection
Confidentiality and the VA Health Care System
Includes VA regulations on confidentiality and release of patient records, and ways to protect patient confidentiality

Clinical Manual

Testing and Assessment
Practical information on initial history, physical exam, lab tests, and disease staging.

In-Depth

HIV Antibody Assays
Niel Constantine, PhD
Focuses on antibody detection, the most widely used and most effective way to identify HIV infection
HIV Viral Load Assays
Teri J. Liegler, PhD, and Robert M. Grant, MD, MPH
Describes the three most widely used commercial assays, with attention to aspects of each assay that may favor its use in different clinical situations
How to Tell Patients They Do (or Do Not) Have HIV
Paul A. Volberding, MD
Offers practical advice to clinicians for helping patients understand a diagnosis of HIV
Theory and Practice of Client-Centered Counseling and Testing
Nicolas Sheon, PhD
Provides an overview of current models of HIV voluntary counseling and testing practice with links to guidelines, curricula, and research protocols that describe them

Clinician Tools

HIV Testing Consent Form (Revised)
Form 10-0121, rev. January 2005
VA HIV Prevention Handbook: A Guide for Clinicians
122-page handbook that translates HIV prevention research into everyday practice in clinical setting

Q&A Forum

HIV Testing
FAQs on important aspects of HIV testing based upon VA policies and regulations, June 2005

Journal Articles

Frequency of HIV Screening in the Veterans Health Administration: Implications for Early Diagnosis of HIV Infection.
Valdiserri RO, et al. AIDS Educ Prev. 2008 Jun;20(3):258-64.
State of the art for diagnosis of HIV infection
Branson BM. Clin Infect Dis. 2007 Dec 15;45 Suppl 4:S221-5.

Patient Education

Rapid Oral HIV Test
Brochure for patients
Get Checked: For Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, and HIV
Provider buttons and notepads promoting HIV testing as part of routine medical care
Be Courageous Again. Get Tested
Poster and brochure (in English and Spanish) for patients

Related Resources

The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Veterans Affairs of the linked Web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein.


	HIV Testing in the United States The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, policy fact sheet

	HIVtest.org Web resource that includes an HIV testing site locator, information on HIV counseling, testing, and referral, and resources for people who test positive.

	Rapid Testing CDC documents on rapid testing for HIV.


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Reviewed/Updated Date: April 23, 2008