Table 5.
Summary of findings relevant to utilization of point-of-care testing (POCT) in Canada.
| Reference | Study design | Study setting | Study population | Sample size | Data collection instrument | Feasibility | Acceptability | Satisfaction | Preference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Becker et al. (27) | Cross-sectional | Emergency department at hospital | Emergency department patients | 501 | Posttest questionnaire and INSTI HIV-1/HIV-2 antibody test | – | – | 96% satisfaction | – |
| Bergman et al. (19, 25) | Cohort | Community health center, bathhouses, gay bars, drop-in center prisons, addictions facilities | Men and women | 1,031 | INSTI HIV-1/HIV-2 antibody test | 81.5% | Highest acceptance among testing sites for MSM and the lowest acceptance at community-based organizations | – | – |
| Men who have sex with men (MSM) | |||||||||
| People who use or have history of injection drug use | |||||||||
| Commercial sex workers | |||||||||
| Bergman et al. (19, 25) | Narrative | Community health centers, community centers, prisons, drop-in centers | Not reported | Not reported | INSTITM HIV-1/HIV-2 rapid antibody test | – | – | – | – |
| Brondani and Chang (23) | Cross-sectional | Community dental clinics | Men and women | 32 | Self-administered questionnaire and HIV test | – | 92% | – | – |
| Bungay et al. (36) | Participatory action research design | Indoor commercial sex markets | Women | 113 | Survey | – | – | Satisfaction was high for women tested due to flexibility of POCT | POCT preferred as it is less invasive, more comfortable, and less painful than standard test |
| Commercial sex workers | Focus group | ||||||||
| Fielden et al. (31) | Cross-sectional | Primary care clinic, sexual health clinic, community health center, hospital, street outreach, aboriginal friendship centers, prisons, dental office, addiction facilities | Men and women, aboriginal peoples | 243 | Survey | – | – | – | 40% preferred POCT to standard |
| Interviews | |||||||||
| HIV test results | |||||||||
| Gahagan et al. (32) | Cross-sectional | Sexual health clinic | Not reported | 258 | Survey | – | – | – | 90% prefer rapid to standard test |
| Guenter et al. (30) | Cohort | Sexual health clinics | Men and women | 1,257 | Posttest questionnaire or interview and fast-check HIV-1/2 whole blood test | – | – | 98.9% satisfaction (non-reactive testers) | – |
| 100% satisfaction with reactive testers | |||||||||
| Guenter et al. (37) | Cohort | Sexual health clinic | Men and women | 1,257 | Posttest questionnaire or interview and fast-check HIV-1/2 whole blood test | – | – | 99% satisfaction | – |
| Halton Region Health Department (20) | Observational | Correctional facilities | Incarcerated men and women | 156 | Survey | HIV POCT was accepted because results were available immediately | 98% satisfaction | ||
| HIV testing data | |||||||||
| HIV Counselling and Testing Community Advisory Committee, Nova Scotia Advisory Commission on AIDS (21) | Cohort study | Not reported | Men, women, transgender people, aboriginal peoples | 50 | Interview | – | Acceptability was related to lessening the waiting period, and that rapid testing might be an effective way to reach communities that do not know or do not want to know their HIV status | – | – |
| African, Nova Scotians | HIV incidence data | ||||||||
| PWAs | Policy scan | ||||||||
| People living with hepatitis C (HCV) | |||||||||
| Iqbal et al. (38) | Cross-sectional | Hospital | Pregnant women | 92 | Survey | – | 59% of women were willing to be tested. Willingness was significantly associated with an interest in learning about HIV treatment options, access to health-care services, and the partner notification process | – | – |
| Lambert et al. (35) | Before and after | Correctional facilities | Men and women, MSM, people who use injection drugs, commercial sex workers, incarcerated men and women, people from endemic countries | 478 | Survey | – | 72.4% | 97.1% satisfaction | 93% prefer rapid to standard testing |
| Interview | |||||||||
| HIV testing data | |||||||||
| Lewis et al. (33) | Cross-sectional | Sexual health clinic | Men and women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals | 258 | Survey | – | – | – | 90.3% prefer rapid to standard |
| Lee et al. (41) | Observational | Hospital | Pregnant women, health-care workers with occupational exposures, acutely ill patients | 1,737 | INSTITM HIV-1/HIV-2 antibody test | – | – | – | – |
| Miller and Martindale (40) | Before and after | Not reported | Young gay and bisexual men | 300 | Survey | – | 90% | 66% satisfied with testing experience | 97% preferred rapid to standard test |
| HIV test | |||||||||
| Nine Circles Community Health Centre (29) | Cross-sectional | Community health center | Men and women | 54 | Survey | – | – | 96.6% of clients satisfied with testing experience | Preference for POCT related to benefits of an immediate result |
| LGBTQ | Focus group | ||||||||
| MSM | Document review | ||||||||
| People who use injection drugs, aboriginal peoples, Asian and African Canadian people, commercial sex workers | |||||||||
| Options clinic (47) | Cohort | Sexual health clinic, youth drop-in center, bathhouses, London Pride, Aboriginal friendship centers, needle exchange programs, university health clinics | MSM | 945 | Document review | – | – | – | – |
| LGBTQ | |||||||||
| People who use injection drugs, aboriginal peoples, students | |||||||||
| Pai et al. (24) | Cross-sectional | Hospital | Men and women, people who use injection drugs | 109 | Semi-structured questionnaire and Miriad Rapid TP/HBV/HIV/HCV antibody test | 92.4% completion rate | – | – | 97.2% preferred multiplex to conventional testing |
| PHS Community Services Society (28) | Cohort | Community centers, street fairs, single-room occupancy hotels | People who use injection drugs | 4,773 | Survey | – | – | – | – |
| HIV testing data | |||||||||
| Pyra Management Consulting Services Inc. (44) | Narrative research | Not reported | Not reported | 22 | Interview | – | – | – | – |
| Schwandt et al. (34) | Cross-sectional | Primary care clinics | Women | 100 | Self-administered questionnaire | – | – | – | 81% prefer rapid to standard |
| Thériault et al. (22) | Cross-sectional | Sexual health clinics | MSM, people who use injection drugs, commercial sex workers, people who inhale drugs | 249 | Interviews | Nurses had skills to adopt rapid testing easily into clinical practice | 95.4% chose rapid test | All people were either satisfied or very satisfied | – |
| Surveys | |||||||||
| Focus groups | |||||||||
| Document review | |||||||||
| HIV testing data | |||||||||
| Vancouver STOP Project (26, 46) | Cross-sectional | Dental clinic | Not reported | 22 | Survey | – | Acceptability was high among clients tested | – | – |
| Vancouver STOP Project (26, 46) | Cohort | AIDS service organization, bathhouses, pride parade, parks, single-occupancy hotel rooms | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | – | – | – | – |
| Veillette-Bourbeau (45) | Grounded theory | Community health center | MSM | 10 | Interviews | – | – | – | – |
| Observation | |||||||||
| Document review | |||||||||
| Wertheimer (43) | Participatory action research design | Sexual health clinics, community centers | Women | 90 | Interviews | – | – | – | – |
| Surveys | |||||||||