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Tips and tricks

There are some tips and tricks that can be communicated to people who are self-testing that will help them to conduct the test. This can help clients to feel more at ease completing the test and can result in fewer invalid or inaccurate results overall. It is also important to understand the full INSTI HIV Self Test Instructions For Use. 

“Take more than one kit in case you mess up the first one” – Dialogue participant

Below are some practice-based recommendations for you to consider related to providing tips and tricks that could help your clients to complete an HIV self-test effectively and help your organization to assist in the distribution of self-test kits.

Practice-based recommendations:

1. Direct people to the instructions inside the kit or an online video for information about how to do the test.

2. Consider providing tips and tricks to help people take the test correctly. This may be particularly helpful for people who are using a self-test for the first time.

  • Provide tips on how to make it easier to draw a drop of blood (e.g., warming their hands before taking the test and rubbing from their palm out to their fingertip before pricking their finger). 
  • Explain that a full drop of blood needs to fall into the bottle. Scraping some blood from their finger into the bottle may result in the blood sample being too small and the test result being invalid.
  • Advise people that the contents of the bottle should be dark red after they add their blood sample. They should add a second drop of blood if necessary.
  • Encourage people not to test in a hot and humid environment, as this increases the chance of a false-positive result. 
  • Tell people that the tests should be stored at room temperature.
  • Advise people to avoid using hand sanitizer, which may produce an invalid result. Instead, people should wash and dry their hands before taking the test, or they can use an alcohol swab.
  • Instruct people to open the bandage before they prick their finger, so that it is ready to put on quickly after they draw the drop of blood. 

3. Have additional supplies on hand (e.g., extra lancets, alcohol swabs and bandages) for people to take.

4. Encourage people to take multiple self-test kits in case they get an invalid result and need to do the test again.

5. Consider creating a card to hand out with tests that contains tips and tricks (e.g., using multiple drops of blood, warming hands).