Health Care Facilities Across U.S. Should Offer Routine HIV Testing, Editorial Says

Doctors, hospitals and clinics in the U.S. should make HIV testing standard, "which would increase information and comfort levels," a Detroit Free Press editorial says. "At least" in areas with high HIV prevalence, doctors should ask all sexually active patients who are undergoing a routine check-up or being treated for symptoms whether they want to be tested for HIV, the editorial says. Emergency departments also should offer routine HIV tests to reach uninsured people, who most often "come in contact with the health care system" in the emergency department, according to the Free Press. Routine HIV testing programs are "models for early detection and treatment" that help HIV-positive people live "long and productive lives," prevent the spread of the disease and reduce the stigma surrounding HIV, the editorial says (Detroit Free Press, 10/31).