Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Nov 2017
In February 2017, the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) at La Trobe University initiated a consultation which aimed to describe best practice in HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C pre and post test discussion in the Victorian context.
Building on existing evidence, and guided by the National Testing Policies, the purpose of this consultation was to better understand the components of a quality testing encounter in the era of elimination, with particular emphasis on the non-medical needs of people around the time of testing and diagnosis.
The focus of this consultation was to identify best practice in pre and post test discussion for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. A range of health and community providers and researchers discussed the fundamentals of best practice at length, and provided a great many insights into the components of quality testing services.
Importantly, most participants acknowledged that while best practice is a valuable notion, it is not attainable in all health care settings. Best practice, therefore, needs to be flexible enough to be able to fit into any setting where HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C testing may occur.