Systematic Reviews
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Methodol. Jun 20, 2023; 13(3): 142-152
Published online Jun 20, 2023. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v13.i3.142
Preferences for oral- vs blood-based human immunodeficiency virus self-testing: A scoping review of the literature
Victor Abiola Adepoju, Winifred Imoyera, Ali Johnson Onoja
Victor Abiola Adepoju, Winifred Imoyera, Department of HIV and Infectious Diseases, Jhpiego Nigeria, an affiliate of John Hopkins University, Abuja 900901, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Ali Johnson Onoja, Research, African Health Project, Abuja 900901, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Author contributions: Adepoju VA conceptualized the study, designed the review methodology, conducted the initial literature search, contributed to the data analysis, and wrote the first draft of the manuscript; Imoyera W was involved in the study design, literature search, and data analysis, and contributed to writing and revising the manuscript including reviewing and synthesizing the data; Onoja AJ was involved in the literature search, data analysis, and manuscript revisions.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Victor Abiola Adepoju, MD, self-testing in Africa Project Director, Department of HIV and Infectious Diseases, Jhpiego Nigeria, an affiliate of John Hopkins University, Plot 971, Rueben Okoya Street, Abuja 900901, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. schrodinga05@yahoo.com
Received: January 18, 2023
Peer-review started: January 18, 2023
First decision: April 20, 2023
Revised: April 22, 2023
Accepted: May 24, 2023
Article in press: May 24, 2023
Published online: June 20, 2023
Processing time: 153 Days and 1.8 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

The evidence on preferences for oral- vs blood-based human immunodeficiency virus self-testing (HIVST) has been heterogenous and inconclusive. In addition, most evaluations have relied on hypothetical or stated use cases using discreet choice experiments rather than actual preferences among experienced users, which are more objective and critical for the understanding of product uptake. Direct head-to-head comparison of consumer preferences for oral- versus blood-based HIVST is lacking.

AIM

To examine the existing literature on preferences for oral- vs blood-based HIVST, determine the factors that impact these preferences, and assess the potential implications for HIVST programs.

METHODS

Databases such as PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, and Web of Science were searched for articles published between January 2011 to October 2022. Articles must address preferences for oral- vs blood-based HIVST. The study used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist to ensure the quality of the study.

RESULTS

The initial search revealed 2424 records, of which 8 studies were finally included in the scoping review. Pooled preference for blood-based HIVST was 48.8% (9%-78.6%), whereas pooled preference for oral HIVST was 59.8% (34.2%-91%) across all studies. However, for male-specific studies, the preference for blood-based HIVST (58%-65.6%) was higher than that for oral (34.2%-41%). The four studies that reported a higher preference for blood-based HIVST were in men. Participants considered blood-based HIVST to be more accurate and rapid, while those with a higher preference for oral HIVST did so because these were considered non-invasive and easy to use.

CONCLUSION

Consistently in the literature, men preferred blood-based HIVST over oral HIVST due to higher risk perception and desire for a test that provides higher accuracy coupled with rapidity, autonomy, privacy, and confidentiality, whereas those with a higher preference for oral HIVST did so because these were considered non-invasive and easy to use. Misinformation and distrust need to be addressed through promotional messaging to maximize the diversity of this new biomedical technology.

Keywords: Human immunodeficiency virus self-testing; Preferences; Oral human immunodeficiency virus self-testing; Blood-based human immunodeficiency virus self-testing

Core Tip: We conducted a scoping review of the literature to determine the preferences for oral- vs blood-based human immunodeficiency virus self-testing (HIVST) and related factors. We searched PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, and Web of Science databases for articles published between January 2011 and October 2022 that addressed preferences for oral- vs blood-based HIVST. The pooled preferences for blood- and oral-based HIVST were 48.8% and 59.8%, respectively. For male-specific studies, the preference for blood-based HIVST was higher than for oral. These results highlight the need to address misinformation and distrust through promotional messaging to maximize the diversity of this new biomedical technology.