Table 1 POCT Site Characteristics
| Â | Liverpool Centre for Sexual Health | Community-based sites |
|---|---|---|
Locations | Hospital GUM clinic | Community sites |
Model adopted for POCT | Opportunistic screening | Outreach case finding |
| Â | Dependent on client self-presentation to service | Dependent on service providers promoting uptake of POCT |
Groups targeted | Patients for STI services | Drug users |
| Â | Sexual assault patients | Asylum-seekers |
| Â | Â | MSM |
| Â | Â | Homeless people |
| Â | Â | Sex-workers |
| Â | Â | Travellers |
| Â | Â | UK Africans |
Key successes highlighted by service providers | Rapid availability of results for traumatised clients | Outreach to encourage uptake amongst marginalised and at risk groups |
| Â | Universal screening | Giving positive and negative POCT results to clients |
| Â | Integration within nurse and healthcare assistant departmental working patterns | Opportunities for incorporating prevention messages |
Key challenges highlighted by service providers | Time demands of POCT | Onward client referral systems |
| Â | Emotional impact of performing large number of HIV tests | Laboratory quality assurance systems |
| Â | Need to take further venous blood samples (e.g. for syphilis screening) | Â |