Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Email 318: Questions About the HIV Test


Hello Pozziepinoy,

I was the one you've been chatting with before in your Blog's chat room.

Me and my partner together with our friends will be having HIV test on Saturday at the RITM satellite office. I have a few questions about the facility.

1. Is it okay if we bring our own syringe/needle to extract blood from us?
2. Do they have counsellors prior to the test?
3. How do they reveal the results? Is it by group or do they have private rooms/cubicles to discuss the results?

Thank you in advance and more power.

Regards,

Nollie

POZZIEPINOY’S RESPONSE


Hi Nollie.

Thank you for your email. Thank you also for helping out in making Our Chatroom very active. I really need help in that part of the blog and with guys like you who help out in answering questions and reposting blog entries to answer concerns really means a lot to me but to those who need the most.

Now, going to your questions, let me answer them in the order that you asked them.

1. I believe that it is ok for you to bring your own syringe or needle during the blood drawing. However, for the sake of others, the needle and syringe being used there (and in most testing clinics) for patients are still wrapped in a container so you are sure that everything is sanitized. Your responsibility is to check if the med tech or nurse is removing it from the wrapper itself to make sure that what is going to be used for you is brand new. Also, it is your responsibility to check if once blood has been drawn, that the code or name being written on the blood tubes is yours. 

 2. It is in the law that during the HIV testing, there should be a pre and post counselling. It is written in the RA 8504, Article III:
SEC. 20. Pre-test and Post-test Counselling – All testing centers, clinics, or laboratories which perform any HIV test shall be required to provide and conduct free pre-test counselling and post-test counselling for persons who avail of their HIV/AIDS testing services. However, such counselling services must be provided only by persons who meet the standards set by the DOH
RITM Satellite Clinic follows this law, thus they have a pre and post counseling done by their certified counselors and nurses.
3. After just two hours, there is a one on one meeting between the counselor and the patient and the sealed enveloped containing the result is handed to the patient for him or her to read. The post counseling is usually done in a private room with only the counselor and patient inside so all questions can be addressed privately during the counselling.


I hope I was able to answer your concerns. Feel free to email me again if you have other questions.


Stay healthy,
Pozziepinoy





"WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.
NO PLHIV is alone with his or her struggle with HIV!"

-Pozziepinoy-



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