(Newswire.net — April 5, 2015) Melbourne, VIC — Advances in HIV testing technology has now allowed for people to have a HIV test and result all in under 30 minutes. This test can be administered by physicians in their office allowing privacy as well as reduced anxiety some patients face with traditional HIV tests.
Recently approved for use in Australia the Alere Rapid HIV Test can be offered to patients in a simple clinical settings. The test only required a drop of blood from the finger that is applied to a chemical strip that offers a result in under 30 minutes.
Dr George Forgan-Smith, a gay men’s health specialist reports:
“The rapid HIV test has been a fantastic addition to my office. Many men and women are anxious about HIV and to be able to offer a test so quickly is a major factor in choosing where to be tested.
By eliminating waiting for days and sometimes up to a week this greatly reduces anxiety.
From an economic perspective this also means patients will not need to pay for 2 separate appointments, one for test and the second for results.
Another advantage has been for those who are needle phobic. Unlike traditional HIV tests for which blood needs to be drawn and sent to a lab this test simply uses a drop of blood from the finger tip. This has been another popular reason people are choosing to go for a rapid HIV test.”
In any case where a screening HIV test was to come back positive additional blood will need to be collected and sent for laboratory testing.
In Australia it is advisable to have HIV testing done with a doctor who is trained to not only administer the test but also HIV and it’s management. This allows for any questions about HIV, it’s testing as well as answering questions that are a little more complex like HIV’s window period. There are many frequently asked questions about HIV. A doctor trained in HIV care will be able to help answer these.