Utilization of a Clinical Reminder System to Increase the Incidence of HIV Screening in a Primary Care Clinic

• Main Author: Ray, Robyn T.
• Language: EN
• Published: University of Louisiana at Lafayette 2015
• Subjects: Medicine|Nursing|Public health
• Online Access: http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3712863

<p> HIV infection is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in our country today with nearly 1.2 million Americans living with HIV infection. Early recognition of infection is imperative for appropriate initiation of treatment to prevent comorbidities. Additionally, identification of infection can serve as a primary preventative measure to reduce spread of the disease. National organizations have supported the initiation of routine screening policies for HIV in health care settings. Primary care providers are uniquely positioned to be able to offer HIV screenings and identify infected persons very early in the course of the disease. Despite support for routine testing in the literature and by national evidence-based guidelines, testing is still not offered routinely in the primary care setting. The purpose of this project was to explore if a clinical reminder improves the frequency of HIV screening offered in a rural primary care clinic (PCC) located in Central Louisiana. Results of the project did show a statistically significant increase in the frequency of HIV screening offered following implementation of the clinical reminder system.</p>