Routine HIV Testing (RHT)

Routine HIV Testing is a form of provider initiated testing and counseling, where health care providers offer and perform HIV testing and counseling to all patients/clients in health facilities. In RHT HIV testing is an integral part of the clinical services provided at the health facilities or is part of the services of other organizations providing health-related services.

As part of the normal standard of care, RHT services will be offered irrespective of whether or not the patient or client has signs and symptoms of underlying HIV infection or has other reasons for presenting to the facility.Remember RHT is not compulsory or coercive testing and requires informed verbal consent. RHT approach is consistent with the WHO policy developed in 2003-“WHO/UNAIDS policy statement on HIV testing as well as the 2007 “WHO/UNAIDS Guidance on Provider-Initiated HIV Testing and Counseling in Health Facilities”.

RHT process entails 3 major steps:

• Provision of simplified pre-test group education (If a patient/ client declines testing, they are offered individual pre-test counseling)
• HIV testing with informed verbal consent
• Post test individual/couple counseling

Indications for RHT

Health care workers should recommend and deliver Routine HIV testing to the following:

• Patients presenting to the health facilities with clinical signs and/or symptoms suggestive of HIV/AIDS
• Pregnant women attending antenatal clinics as well as women presenting for postpartum services
• Patients with sexually transmitted infections
• TB patients or patients presenting with signs or symptoms suggestive of TB
• Infants born to HIV-positive women as a routine component of the follow-up care for these children
• Children presenting with suboptimal growth or malnutrition
• Men seeking circumcision as an HIV prevention intervention, in accordance with Botswana Safe Male Circumcision (SMC) National Strategy
• Any healthy individual going for general medical examination.

All clients or patients aged 16 years and above visiting health facilities. For patients below 16 years, health workers should obtain parental/guardian consent Knowing one’s HIV status makes it easy for one to access prevention, treatment, care and support services on time and this helps to prolong his/her life.