Routine opt-out HIV testing in critical care

Abstract

Offering critically ill patients an opt-out HIV test may aid clinical decision making while alleviating the effects of missed or late HIV diagnosis. This literature review gathered quality research in order to assess, evaluate and integrate appropriate practices [1]. This study found that the literature supports that critical care patients living with HIV are often unaware of their HIV status, when presenting with life-threatening conditions, such as sepsis [2,3,4].This is recognised as an area for practice development within critical care sectors as testing for HIV may enhance patient health outcomes [5]