Testing options
Conventional test
Conventional test refers to taking blood from a vein and sending the specimen to a laboratory where trained technicians perform the test, followed by confirmatory tests if necessary.
Rapid test
Rapid test refers to obtaining a blood drop from a finger-prick (or oral fluid by swabbing the gums), performing the test on-site and reading the result in about 20 minutes by a healthcare worker or community worker.
How is HIV rapid test performed?
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Clean fingertip with alcohol and prick with a lancet. Get a small drop of blood with EDTA capillary tube. Transfer the sample to the test strip and apply one drop of Chase Buffer. Result of the test can be read after 20 minutes.
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Please note: Rapid test is only a screening test. Any positive rapid test result should be followed by confirmatory test of venous blood conducted by a laboratory.
HIV self-testing
HIV self‑testing refers to the process by which a person collects a specimen, performs a test and interprets the test result by oneself to check his/her HIV status. The procedure of HIV self-testing and rapid test is the same. The only difference is that self-testing requires the users to read and interpret the results by themselves.
HIV self-testing is used for preliminary screening. Any positive HIV self-test result must be confirmed by laboratory-based testing with a venous blood sample.
Suggested user
HIV self-testing is suitable for most people, however the following person is not recommended to use:
- already been diagnosed with HIV infection in other clinics/ laboratories
- already been tested with HIV positive by rapid test in non-governmental organisations
- feeling very nervous about getting an HIV self-test
- unable to follow the instructions of using the HIV self-test kit
- do not have confidence to interpret the test result on your own
- currently on HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), HIV Post-exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) or HIV antiretroviral treatment
For the above conditions, you are advised to approach the AIDS Counselling and Testing Service or other services providing HIV testing in Hong Kong.
Comparison of conventional test, rapid test, and self-testing
The following table shows the advantages and disadvantages of these methods:
Conventional test | Rapid test | Self-testing | |
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Cost |
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Privacy and confidentiality |
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Turnover time and accuracy of result |
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Accuracy (Sensitivity and specificity) |
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Window period |
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Counselling, support service and linkage to care |
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Other advantages and disadvantages |
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