What is the HIV Testing Initiative in Family Practice?
New guidelines for expanded HIV testing were announced in early 2011.
The goals of the HIV Testing Initiative in Family Practice are to:
- Support family physicians in learning why, how and when to test for HIV under the new paradigms of effective treatment and treatment as prevention for HIV
- Link family physicians to resources for connecting HIV positive patients to quality care.
Who are we?
This initiative is a partnership between the Vancouver Coastal Health, Providence Health Care and UBC CPD.
What’s the rationale for this initiative?
- Evidence shows Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) works and Treatment as Prevention works
- Risk-based testing misses too many, diagnoses are too late
- Routine Testing is cost-effective and cost saving
- Vancouver family physicians see 8,000 patients per day
- Through routine HIV testing, family physicians can alter the course of the epidemic
What can family physicians find on this site?
Earn MainPro M1 or MainPro C credits for learning activities that are designed to support physicians in implementing HIV testing into routine care.
Access valuable resources to facilitate routine HIV testing in your practice, and find out how to connect patients to care when necessary.
Hope to Health HIV Initiative
HIV Testing Initiative in Family Practice is part of the wider Hope to Health HIV Initiative. This initiative aims to reduce the proportion of individuals with HIV infection who remain undiagnosed or present late for care. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (ART) vastly improves the health and lifespan of HIV infected individuals while also markedly reducing transmission of the virus. Early diagnosis is the key to achieving both individual and population level benefits of antiretroviral treatment.
It’s Different Now
IDN is a social media campaign to increase public understanding of HIV testing and treatment.
