A self-testing app called HIVSmart! was tested for its effectiveness among at-risk population in Canada.
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‘HIVSmart! is an autonomous way of identifying each Individual’s HIV status and help start early intervention program in HIV-positive patients.’
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"By promoting screening, HIVSmart! could help to reduce the number of people living with HIV who do not know their status and allow them to start treatment earlier," adds Dr. Réjean Thomas, study co-author, who is also the founder and CEO of Clinique Médicale L'Actuel. ''An application such as HIVSmart! increases accessibility to testing, especially outside major cities, where it is sometimes harder to get tested because of confidentiality issues." 
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HIVSmart! is available for smartphone, tablet or web-based (Android, iPhone, and iPad) confidential software app that was developed by Dr. Pant Pai and her team at the RI-MUHC. It informs, interprets and stores data confidentially but, most importantly, it links users to counselling or care quickly and encourages the user to stay in care. Initially developed with funding from Grand Challenges Canada, HIVSmart! was evaluated in Montreal thanks to this study funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
HIVSmart! feasibility in Montreal
Between July 2016 and February 2017, researchers conducted a study on 451 men who have sex with men (sometimes referred to as MSM) aged 18 to 73 years who presented themselves at the Clinique Médicale L'Actuel to be tested for HIV. They were offered an in-home saliva-based HIV Test and a tablet equipped with the HIVSmart! App. The strategy mimicked testing in an unsupervised home environment. Using HIVSmart!, participants were guided through the self-testing process, learning how to perform and interpret the test, store results, and receive care swiftly.
"Our study shows that the HIVSmart! App strategy is feasible, accepted and preferred by an educated, urban MSM population in Montreal," says Dr. Pant Pai. "As a strategy, it suits individuals who prefer to test themselves at their convenience in the comfort of a private space such as their home, office or kiosks. That's empowering!"
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In Canada, the HIV epidemic is dis-proportionally represented in key populations, such as MSM, injection drug users, Indigenous populations and immigrants from HIV-endemic countries. Approximately 18 to 25 percent of Canadian MSM populations are unaware of their HIV-positive status, and the number may be proportionally higher for IDUs, Indigenous populations and immigrants, which underscores the need for accessible HIV self-testing services.
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Researchers plan to adapt the HIVSmart! self-testing strategy for many at-risk populations in Canada and worldwide, thereby maximizing its public health impact. HIVSmart! strategy is also being tested in South Africa.
* UNAIDS Fast-Track Strategy to End AIDS by 2030:
By 2030, 95% of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status.
By 2030, 95% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy.
By 2030, 95% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression.
KEY FINDINGS
Profile of Participants
84.7% were educated beyond high school;
79.5% were employed;
52.5% had been tested in the past 6 months.
Main Results
99.3% of the participants who self-tested negative and received counselling after their test;
0.7% of the participants who self-tested positive and were lab-confirmed positive were linked to a physician within the same day;
98.8% of the participants found the app to be useful;
94% of the participants were willing to recommend it to a friend or partner.
Source-Eurekalert