Rapid Home-Based Human Immunodeficiency Virus Testing to Reduce Costs in a Large Tuberculosis Cohort Study

To reduce costs in a large tuberculosis household contact cohort study in Lima, Peru, we replaced laboratory-based human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing with home-based rapid HIV testing. We developed a protocol and training course to prepare staff for the new strategy; these included role-playing for home-based deployment of the Determine® HIV 1/2 Ag/Ac Combo HIV test. Although the rapid HIV test produced more false-positives, the overall cost per participant tested, refusal rate and time to confirmatory HIV testing were lower with the home-based rapid testing strategy compared to the original approach. Rapid testing could be used in similar research or routine care settings