Routine HIV Testing for People Who Inject Drugs Hospitalized With Infective Endocarditis in the United States: A Commentary.

Abstract

Abstract: HIV screening is not routinely offered to acutely ill, hospitalized patients. For some patients a hospitalization represents a crucial opportunity to identify undiagnosed HIV infection and interrupt HIV transmission chains. Among people who inject drugs, a hospitalization for infective endocarditis may be one of the only touchpoints they have with a health care provider. Nurse-led HIV screening initiatives in the acute care and emergency medicine settings are being trialed across the United States. Nurses and nurse practitioners are uniquely poised to establish universal, comprehensive HIV testing protocols for people who inject drugs hospitalized for the management of infective endocarditis.