Annual HIV screening rates for HIV-negative men who have sex with men in primary care.

Abstract

BackgroundMen who have sex with men (MSM) account for most new HIV diagnoses in the US. Annual HIV testing is recommended for sexually active MSM if HIV status is negative or unknown. Our primary study aim was to determine annual HIV screening rates in primary care across multiple years for HIV-negative MSM to estimate compliance with guidelines. A secondary exploratory endpoint was to document rates for non-MSM in primary care.MethodsWe conducted a three-year retrospective cohort study, analyzing data from electronic medical records of HIV-negative men aged 18 to 45 years in primary care at a large academic health system using inferential and logistic regression modeling.ResultsOf 17,841 men, 730 (4.1%) indicated that they had a male partner during the study period. MSM were screened at higher rates annually than non-MSM (about 38% vs. 9%, pConclusionsWhile MSM are screened for HIV at higher rates than non-MSM, overall screening rates remain lower than desired, particularly for older patients and patients with a family medicine or pediatric PCP. Targeted interventions to improve HIV screening rates for MSM in primary care are discussed.