She and other health care workers prefer this method of HIV testing to standard testing — and they’re disappointed it’s not more widely available in Canada.

In standard HIV testing, an individual sees their doctor then gets blood drawn at a lab. Weeks later, they return to their doctor’s office to discuss the results. In point-of-care testing, a healthcare worker or other trained professional extracts one drop of blood from the individual’s finger and discusses the results minutes later. The blood isn’t sent to a lab unless the results are preliminary positive.

The need is growing because the rates of new HIV infection are on the rise in Canada. Officials estimate as many as 25 percent of people infected with HIV have still not yet been diagnosed.

It’s less of an ordeal than standard testing so those who undergo it feel less anxious. This makes at-risk individuals more inclined to get tested. Also known as rapid testing, it’s more cost-efficient and, because it doesn’t have to be done at a medical facility, it allows healthcare workers to do outreach in remote or rural areas and in urban centres where at-risk individuals gather.

Evidence indicates that people prefer rapid testing and that between 10 percent and 52 percent  of people taking a rapid test are first-time testers. Rapid testing clearly reaches people; standard testing doesn’t. No doubt, its widespread use would lead to more people getting tested for HIV and treated for it.

The need is growing because the rates of new HIV infection are on the rise in Canada. Officials estimate as many as 25 percent  of people infected with HIV have still not yet been diagnosed.

But, while rapid testing is commonplace in many countries, access is limited here. In the United States, for example, rapid tests represent about half of all HIV tests. In Canada, that number is just six percent. Rapid tests are available in most provinces but rarely outside urban centres. They’re not available anywhere in Atlantic Canada.

“It’s frustrating that people in much of the country don’t have access to rapid testing even though it’s been around for more than a decade,” says Jane Greer, Director of Hassle Free, a Toronto clinic that provides free medical and counselling services in sexual health. “There’s been some real resistance from the powers that be. There’s real inertia in the healthcare system.”

But Rick Galli, Chief Technical Officer at bioLytical Laboratories, which produces a rapid HIV test, strikes an optimistic note. “It’s been an ongoing struggle but hopefully we’re on the verge of seeing policies changed to enable more rapid testing in Canada,” he says. “It may be more a question of when — not if.”