Facilitators and Barriers of HIV Self-Testing Among Chinese Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Qualitative Study.
Ci Zhang, Xianhong Li, MarySue V Heilemann and 3 others
PMID 33165181WHAT IT FOUND
Chinese men who have sex with men worried HIV self-testing kits could be fake, expensive, or expose their sexuality, and feared positive results alone.
They valued quick, private, simple testing and testing with partners or peers.
Key findings
01Eight major barriers were identified: fear of being duped by a fake test, concern for cost, fearing disclosure of sexual orientation, limited access, lack of consulting services, biosafety concerns, lack of policy support, and concern for lost opportunities to link men to care.
02Five major facilitators were identified: convenience, confidentiality, easy operation, partner HIV testing, and peers' influence.
03Some participants feared facing positive results alone and preferred a professional worker to be present during testing and to provide psychological consulting services.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Purposive and convenience sampling may have selected people with particular views about HIV self-testing. The study was limited to Chinese MSM in one province, so findings may not apply to other populations or places. Most participants were young and highly literate, so older or less literate MSM may have different concerns. All MSM participants had previous HIV testing, and 19 of 23 had already used self-testing, so views from never-tested people may be missing. The study did not test a nursing counseling approach or measure whether removing barriers increases HIV self-testing uptake.
Declared interests
The authors declared no real or perceived vested interests related to the article. The publication types list NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the facilitator themes as evidence that HIV self-testing works or that giving men kits improves health outcomes. The study reported what participants said helped or hindered their use, not a tested effect.