HIV testing for patients attending general medical services: concise guidelines

Traditionally, HIV testing has been confined to those accessing departments of genitourinary medicine (GUM). Blood donors, and more recently women attending for antenatal care, also undergo routine HIV testing. As more testing is undertaken in non-GUM settings there is a need to ensure standardisation of practice irrespective of where it is performed. These guidelines are a summary of the recommendations from the full document, which is available from the website of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH),(1) the specialist society for genitourinary medicine. The full guidelines offer recommendations on when to consider testing for HIV, set out the diagnostic tests available, give methods for increasing the uptake of testing, suggest information to be given before and after testing and explain insurance issues and health promotion principles in the context of HIV testing. The document is aimed primarily at people aged 16 years or older presenting to doctors in general medicine (and its subspecialties). Specific guidelines on testing for those under 16 are available.(2)