Attitudes to home- and self-testing

Simplified HIV Testing – A Research Project for Better Accessibility

Although Sweden has made great progress in HIV prevention, many people still receive their diagnosis late. We want to change that! That’s why Karolinska Institutet and Noaks Ark Stockholm are running a research project to explore how healthcare professionals view new, simpler ways to test for HIV – for example, through self-testing at home.

Why is this project needed?
Many people find it difficult or uncomfortable to get tested for HIV, and stigma is a barrier. Self-testing at home can make it easier and allow people to test in a safe and private environment. However, Sweden currently has no national guidelines or laws that allow self-testing for HIV, even though international research and practice support home and self-testing as a method.

What are we doing?
We are interviewing healthcare professionals and experts working with HIV and prevention to learn about their experiences, opinions, and ideas on how testing can become more accessible. We want to understand the barriers that exist, but also the opportunities that could open up if self-testing is introduced.

What do we hope to achieve?

• More knowledge about how healthcare professionals view self-testing for HIV.
• Suggestions for how testing can become easier and more accessible.
• A foundation for future decisions and guidelines for more accessible and equitable care in Sweden.

Who is behind the project?
Karolinska Institutet and Noaks Ark Stockholm, with support from the Gilead Nordic Fellowship. The project runs from 2026 to 2028.

“We see a great need to simplify HIV testing to reach more people and reduce the number of late diagnoses. This study is an important step towards more accessible and equitable care,” says Lisa George Svahn, specialist nurse at Noaks Ark Stockholm.

Are you interested in learning more? Contact us.

Together, we can make it easier to get tested for HIV!