The 2020 National HIV Testing Policy provides guidance about the conditions for offering point-of-care testing or HIV rapid testing. Point-of-care testing is offered in clinical and community settings with trained peer-to-peer test facilitators.
Point-care-testing must be carried out by an appropriately trained health practitioner.
The 2020 National HIV Testing Policy provides that all staff, who provide HIV point-of-care testing should demonstrate competency in the performance of the tasks for which they are responsible. Training must cover test operation, sample collection and interpretation, informed consent, record keeping, result communication, confirmatory testing processes, and patient confidentiality.
Further, the 2020 National HIV Testing Policy states that staff should receive specific training to operate any newly introduced point-of-care test or sample collection process. Services providing point-of-care testing must have a clear linkage to clinical and pathology services for confirmatory testing.
One HIV self-test is currently approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for use in Australia.
The 2020 National HIV Testing Policy outlines what self-testing involves: a person collects their own specimen (e.g. blood from a finger prick), applies it to a testing kit or device and interprets the test result.
Currently, there are no oral fluid self-testing devices approved by the TGA for supply in Australia.
Self-testing may be favoured for supporting autonomy and increased confidentiality. HIV self-tests may be obtained online, over the counter in pharmacies and at services working with people indicated for testing.
Any organisation supplying an HIV self-test must have information available:
- to ensure individuals can perform the test correctly
- about the sensitivity and specificity limitations of the test, including its predictive value when used in groups indicated for testing or not indicated for testing, the window period for detection, the need for confirmatory testing and referral points
- to ensure individuals interpret the test result accurately.
The package insert of all tests:
- should contain information about how to access support services
- must explain sensitivity and specificity limitations of the test including the predictive value when used in groups indicated for testing or not indicated for testing, the window period for detection, the need for confirmatory testing and referral points.
- Where the self-test is supplied to healthcare workers who perform or supervise the test, they must be appropriately trained and have an established relationship for the referral and testing of specimens with a NATA (National Association of Testing Authorities)-accredited medical testing laboratory.
