REVIEW PAPER
Investigating the status of HIV self-testing before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review study
1
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Health School, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
2
Master’s Student, Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Esfahan University of Medical Sciences, Esfahan, Iran
These authors had equal contribution to this work
Submission date: 2023-11-26
Final revision date: 2024-04-20
Acceptance date: 2024-04-24
Publication date: 2026-09-25
Corresponding author
Fatemeh Rezaeinade
Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Esfahan University of Medical Sciences, Esfahan, Iran
Epidemiology, Faculty of Health, Esfahan University of Medical Sciences, Esfahan, Iran
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
In order to effectively address the goals of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention and control on both regional and global scales, there is a pressing need for an innovative approach to providing testing-related services. The objective of this study was to scrutinize and compare the utilization of HIV self-testing before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To identify appropriate studies, a comprehensive search was conducted across various databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Ovid, and ISI between December 2019 and May 2023. Strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology checklist (STROBE) was employed to evaluate the quality of each study. Of the numerous articles reviewed, 24 were included in the study. It was ascertained that before the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals living with HIV employed HIV self-testing together with routine HIV tests. The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted service delivery of healthcare centers, resulting in a decline in facility-based tests. However, the utilization of HIV self-tests significantly surged, proving to be a prevalent method for HIV testing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It seems that the use of HIV self-testing increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, because it allowed people to test themselves at home, reducing the need to visit clinics, and minimizing the risk of contracting COVID-19. It is recommended that countries with limited access to HIV diagnostic services comprise the usage of HIV self-testing in their national guidelines.
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