From the Springboard HealthLab and Building Healthy Online Communities.
San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco, CA.
Sex Transm Dis. 2024 Dec 1;51(12):803-809. doi: 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000002058. Epub 2024 Aug 1.
Despite national testing guidelines, rates of testing for HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and hepatitis C remain lower than recommended for men who have sex with men in the United States. To help address this, the TakeMeHome (TMH) program was started in March 2020 by Building Healthy Online Communities, a consortium of public health organizations and dating apps, to work with health departments to increase access to HIV testing for men who have sex with men on dating apps.
Users of participating dating apps were sent messages about opportunities for testing with self-collected specimens through TMH. Program users were eligible to receive test kits if they lived in a participating zip code and were aged at least 18 years. Users who were interested in testing could order kits to be mailed to them for laboratory-based testing of HIV, hepatitis C, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and/or syphilis, depending on risk and availability in their zip code. Orders were sent via application programming interface to Molecular Testing Labs for fulfillment; kits were provided at no cost to the program user. Within approximately 24 hours of order receipt, Molecular Testing Labs mailed program users a kit with required collection supplies, directions, and a link to a video instruction for self-collection. Program users received an automated email after testing was complete with a link to access results through their online account. Individuals with positive results on any of the relevant tests were directed to additional information and to local providers for linkage to additional testing or treatment, depending on local protocols.
The positivity rate of specimens processed through TMH was 1.4% for HIV, 0.6% for hepatitis C, and 2.9% for all STIs combined. The per-person positivity rate was 15.3% across all STIs.
The TMH program demonstrates that self-collected laboratory-processed testing is feasible and effective at identifying new HIV and STI cases.
尽管有国家检测指南，但美国男男性行为者的 HIV、性传播感染（STI）和丙型肝炎检测率仍低于建议水平。为了解决这个问题，“带我回家（TMH）”项目于 2020 年 3 月由公共卫生组织和约会应用程序组成的健康在线社区联盟启动，与卫生部门合作，为约会应用程序上的男男性行为者增加 HIV 检测机会。
参与约会应用程序的用户通过 TMH 收到了有关使用自我采集标本进行检测的机会的信息。如果符合以下条件，计划用户有资格获得检测试剂盒：居住在参与邮政编码地区，年龄至少 18 岁。对检测感兴趣的用户可以订购试剂盒，以便通过实验室检测 HIV、丙型肝炎、衣原体、淋病和/或梅毒，具体取决于他们邮政编码地区的风险和可用性。订单通过应用程序编程接口发送给分子检测实验室进行配送；试剂盒免费提供给计划用户。在收到订单后的大约 24 小时内，分子检测实验室将一个试剂盒寄给计划用户，试剂盒中包含所需的采集用品、说明和一个自我采集视频教程的链接。测试完成后，计划用户会收到一封自动电子邮件，其中包含通过其在线账户访问结果的链接。任何相关测试呈阳性的人都会收到有关额外信息和当地提供的链接，以根据当地协议进行额外的检测或治疗。
通过 TMH 处理的标本的阳性率为 HIV 1.4%、丙型肝炎 0.6%和所有 STI 合并的 2.9%。所有 STI 的人均阳性率为 15.3%。
TMH 项目表明，自我采集的实验室处理检测是可行和有效的，可以发现新的 HIV 和性传播感染病例。
