Evaluation of HIV screening in hospital emergency services. Systematic review

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate HIV screening of people attending emergency services.

Design: Systematic review.

Data sources: CINAHL Complete, Cochrane Library, Cuiden Plus, PubMed, PsycINFO, SCOPUS and Web of Science.

Review methods: The search was carried out between December 2020 and March 2021 following the recommendations set forth in the PRISMA declaration. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used to evaluate the methodological quality of studies. For data extraction, a protocol was prepared. A qualitative synthesis of the main findings was carried out.

Results: The final sample consisted of 29 articles. There are several aspects that influence the performance of HIV screening in the emergency department, such as: adequacy of place, attitude towards screening, sociodemographic characteristics, risky sexual behaviour, incidence of area, and detection tools or method employed, in addition to other factors such as the stigma associated with the disease.

Conclusions: Emergency services are relevant in screening the human immunodeficiency virus. Further research aimed at creating new interventions allowing early detection and adherence to treatment in this population is still a need, particularly in a first-line service like emergency services.