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"Danger in self- testing"
The
Star (www.thestar.com.my)
(06/10/06)
SELF-testing for AIDS using a kit based on blood samples could result in
dangerous consequences because patients frequently do not conduct the test
correctly, a published study warned on Monday.
The study of 350 people in Singapore conducted by six doctors found 85%
failed to perform all the steps correctly, 56% ended up with invalid
results, and 12% misinterpreted them.
Nearly all said they found the test easy to use and the step-by-step,
pictorial instructions easy to understand, according to the findings in The
Straits Times.
The study by physicians from Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) and the National
Skin Centre was headed by Dr Vernon Lee, with TTSH’s department of clinical
epidemiology.
“Getting a HIV test result wrong is very dangerous,” Tan was quoted as
saying.
“If it’s negative but you are infected, you might mistakenly think you are
safe and promote the spread of infection,” he said. “If you are not infected
but it’s positive, the psychological impact can be overwhelming.”
Only 1% of the results were invalid when they were repeated by trained
health-care workers.
Pricking the finger by participants and collecting blood in a capillary tube
posed the most difficulty for patients, the study said. The test strips,
which returned results in minutes, were from the American company Abbott.
There are currently no HIV rapid tests being sold over the counter in
Singapore, although they are available in Hong Kong and Macau. Lee told the
newspaper the results of the study did not mean self-testing should be
written off.
It could be viable if tests kits were user-friendly and counseling could be
provided. — dpa
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