Individualized Provider Feedback Increased HIV and HCV Screening and Identification in a New York City Emergency Department

Efforts to end the HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemics begin with ascertainment of a person's infection status through screening. Despite its importance as a site of testing, missed opportunities for screening in the Emergency Department (ED) are common. We describe the impact of implementing an individualized provider feedback intervention on HIV and HCV testing in a quaternary ED. We conducted an interrupted time series analysis to evaluate the impact of the intervention on weekly HIV and HCV screening in an observational cohort of patients seeking care in the ED. The intervention included a physician champion individualized feedback with peer comparisons to all providers in the ED and an existing HIV/HCV testing and response team. Data were abstracted from the electronic medical record (EMR) for 30 weeks before, during, and after implementing the intervention. We used Poisson regression analysis to estimate changes in the weekly counts and rates of HIV and HCV testing. The incidence rate ratios (IRRs) of HIV testing were 1.94 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.85-2.04] and 1.38 (95% CI 1.31-1.45) times higher for the intervention and post-intervention period compared with the pre-intervention period. The IRRs of HCV testing was 6.96 (95% CI 6.40-7.58) and 4.70 (95% CI 4.31-5.13) for the intervention and post-intervention periods. There were no meaningful differences in demographic characteristics during the observation period. The intervention meaningfully increased HIV and HCV testing volume and positive case detection, including testing in high-risk groups like young adults and individuals without prior testing. Although diminished, the intervention effect sustained in the 30-week period following implementation.