HIV screening among US physicians, 1999-2000

In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) put forth recommendations for routine HIV screening for all individuals aged 13-64. The frequency and correlates of HIV screening among U. S. physicians in 2000 were examined to provide baseline data for evaluating the implementation of the 2006 CDC HIV testing guidelines through a survey mailed to a random sample of U. S. physicians in the American Medical Association's Masterfile. The primary outcome was self-reported HIV screening of asymptomatic male and nonpregnant female patients. A total of 4133 (adjusted completion rate of 70.2%) returned a completed survey. Overall, 1133 (28.4%) of physicians reported HIV screening. U. S. physicians, who were female, black, Hispanic, practiced in a city of more than 250,000 people, diagnosed HIV in the past 2 years, or followed up with patients to see if they notified their sexual partners, were more likely to screen their patients for HIV. Emergency medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics specialists were less likely to screen than family/general practitioners. In 2000, only a quarter of U. S. physicians reported screening their patients for HIV and these rates varied by physician characteristics and practice settings.