Whether Patients Want It or Not, Physician Recommendations Will Convince Them to Accept HIV Testing.

Physicians are not routinely offering patients HIV testing, partly due to perceived patient discomfort with discussing HIV. This study assessed patients' comfort level and whether physician recommendations can overcome any discomfort that does exist. In a publicly funded primary care clinic, we administered a survey exploring patient facilitators to HIV testing, with 266 patients answering the 2 main survey questions of interest.

In the routine HIV testing era, primary care physicians in community health centers remain unaware of HIV testing recommendations.

Background: Despite the 2006 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for routine HIV testing in health care settings, many persons remain untested.