Feasibility and Limitations of Offering Community Based Rapid HIV Testing to Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) (DRAG)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01164462 |
Recruitment Status
:
Completed
First Posted
: July 16, 2010
Last Update Posted
: December 27, 2012
|
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
HIV Infections | Biological: blood test: rapid finger-stick blood specimen test Biological: blood test: conventional test | Not Applicable |
Background: Studies have shown that knowing one's own HIV positive status, may lead to a reduction in sexual risk behaviours. The introduction of new forms of rapid HIV testing in urban areas, may be of benefit to the public health sector, notably in identifying primary HIV infection, preventing secondary HIV transmission and decreasing the spread of HIV infection. Studies have also shown that rapid HIV testing, which yields same-day results, enables a greater number of individuals in populations at risk to become aware of their HIV status.
Issue: The working hypothesis is that the current screening system is not sufficiently suitable for MSM. A community-based rapid HIV testing program could better target the high risk MSM population and shorten the delay between risky behaviour and HIV testing.
Design: This intervention could enable the assessment of the feasibility of community-based rapid HIV testing. Moreover it could compare traditional CDAG (Free Anonymous Screening Consultation or Centre de dépistage anonyme et gratuit in French) center testing with community-based rapid testing. A pre-study phase is first realised to characterize those in the MSM population undergoing HIV testing, before promoting and then beginning the survey. During the normal opening hours of five testing centers, clients will be randomized to have a rapid finger-stick blood specimen test or a conventional test. During evenings and week-ends (i.e. when the centers are closed) only community based rapid HIV testing will be proposed.
Schedule: The pre-study phase is planned for the first quarter of 2009. Promotion of the survey will begin one month before the experimental study which in turn will start in the third quarter of 2009 and will run for 7 months. The end of data analyses is planned for the end of 2010.
Outcome: We will compare HIV population exposure, screening history and the frequency of primary HIV infection diagnosis. We expect to find that those MSM who undergo community based HIV testing during evenings or week-ends, is a population who take repeated sexual risks and who have repeated HIV testing. We also expect to find that this form of testing will be characterized in terms of satisfaction as non-inferior compared to the classic one. In the long term, and if the results are confirmed, rapid HIV testing could be extended to strictly community-based sites.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 357 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Single Group Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Diagnostic |
Study Start Date : | March 2010 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | April 2011 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | April 2011 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
A 2
During the normal opening hours of five testing centers, clients with a rapid finger-stick blood specimen test
|
Biological: blood test: rapid finger-stick blood specimen test Biological: blood test: conventional test |
B group
During evenings and week-ends (i.e. when the centers are closed) only community based with rapid HIV testing
|
Biological: blood test: rapid finger-stick blood specimen test Biological: blood test: conventional test |
A1 group
During the normal opening hours of five testing centers, clients with a conventional test.
|
Biological: blood test: conventional test |
- the feasibility of community-based rapid HIV testing. testing with community-based rapid testing
- Moreover it could compare traditional CDAG (Free Anonymous Screening Consultation) center

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Senior) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | Male |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | Yes |
Inclusion Criteria:
- men who have sex with men
- Age ≥ 18 years
- Able to give written consent
- able to give written authorization for lifting anonymity if there is doubt of results
- Covered by French Social Security
Exclusion Criteria:
- who have had a previous diagnosis of seropositivity
- treated by antiretroviral
- woman

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01164462
France | |
CDAG (Free Anonymous Screening Consultation) center | |
Marseille, France | |
CDAG (Free Anonymous Screening Consultation) center | |
Nice, France | |
CDAG (Free Anonymous Screening Consultation) center | |
Paris, France |
Principal Investigator: | Vernay Vaisse Chantal | DGAS DPMIS Marseille |
Additional Information:
Responsible Party: | French National Agency for Research on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT01164462 History of Changes |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
AO00439-48 |
First Posted: | July 16, 2010 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | December 27, 2012 |
Last Verified: | December 2012 |
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
HIV Infections Lentivirus Infections Retroviridae Infections RNA Virus Infections Virus Diseases |
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral Sexually Transmitted Diseases Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes Immune System Diseases |