Household HTC

Home-based testing has shown to be an acceptable and effective method of identifying patients living with HIV. However, without proper planning, it can become a time-consuming, low-yield activity. To maximize yield, consider
the following points when planning and implementing home-based HTC:

• Time and day: patients and their household members may not be home during traditional working hours. Instead try Friday afternoons or Saturdays for testing
  
• Seasonal calendars: try to focus home-based testing efforts during less busy seasons; for example, during school summer holidays and before/after planting and harvesting seasons
  
• Confirm the appointment: it is best to confirm the appointment time with the patient before leaving the health facility
• Combining with other community activities or home visits: if a CHW is going into the community for any reason, try to plan for him/her to also do home-based HTC in the area
• Distance patients live from the health facility: if the catchment area of your health facility covers a large area, it may not be feasible to conduct home visits to patients living far away
• Yield compared to other ACF activities: it is important that health facilities evaluate each of their testing activities for the best yield
• ACF activities in terms of yield versus the time and effort taken: High-yield, low-effort activities should always be prioritized

Providing home-based HIV testing