Patient characteristics and availability of onsite non-rapid and rapid HIV testing in US substance use disorder treatment programs

Racial and ethnic minorities and injection drug users (IDUs) are at increased risk of HIV infection. However, the associations between these caseload characteristics and the availability of onsite HIV testing in substance use disorder treatment programs are unknown. This study uses data collected in 2008–2009 from 198 program administrators of treatment programs participating in the National Institute on Drug Abuse's Clinical Trials Network to address this gap in the literature. Results show positive associations between the percentages of African American, Hispanic, and IDU patients and the odds of offering non-rapid onsite HIV testing versus no onsite testing. The associations between racial/ethnic composition and the availability of rapid HIV testing were more complicated. These findings suggest that many programs are responding to the needs of at-risk populations. However, programs and their patients may benefit from greater adoption of rapid testing which is less costly and better ensures that patients receive their results.