Pharmacies offer rapid tests for sexually transmitted and blood borne infections as part of large study

Should pharmacists offer testing for blood borne illnesses? A new study aims to find out, by having pharmacies offer them for sexually transmitted and blood borne infections to adults in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Alberta. The tests are an HIV Rapid Test, Hepatitis C Rapid Test, and a dried blood test. All use a few drops of blood from a finger stick, but the dried blood test takes a few weeks to return results, while the HIV rapid test only takes two minutes, and the hepatitis C blood test, 20 minutes. The APPROACH study is a partnership between Memorial University’s School of Pharmacy, Nova Scotia Health, the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. It’s funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. Read: HIV spike among B.C. drug users associated with COVID 19 lockdown, research says “Access to STBBI testing has always been a challenge, whether due to stigma, a low perceived risk of infection or a physical lack of access to a primary care provider, sexual health clinic or community testing site,” Debbie Kelly, principal investigator of the APPROACH study and a professor at Memorial University, said in a press release. “But since the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s gotten even worse.” Eleven pharmacies in Newfoundland and Labrador and 10 in Nova Scotia began offering the tests on Dec. 1—World AIDS day—and testing will begin in select Alberta pharmacies in January. Some pharmacies are offering walk-in tests, and others are doing them by appointment. The tests are done in private rooms and the results are confidential. The trial's immediate goal is to assess the effectiveness of pharmacy-based testing in finding new diagnoses and linking patients with care and treatment. The larger goal of the study is to create a sustainable testing program in Canadian pharmacies. In the already completed pilot phase, which offered rapid HIV tests through two pharmacies, 123 rapid HIV tests were performed over six months. More than 99% of people who participated felt that pharmacies should be routinely offering these tests. “People seem to really like getting tested at the pharmacy,” Gerard Yetman, executive director, AIDS Committee of N.L., said. “It’s discreet, professional and easy to access. There’s a pharmacy in virtually every community.” Read: Fingers crossed: Doctors hope rapid test can help curb the spread of syphilis in Alberta

Pharmacies offer rapid tests for sexually transmitted and blood borne infections as part of large study

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