RT Journal Article T1 Outcome of an HIV education program for primary care providers: Screening and late diagnosis rates. A1 Martínez Sanz, Javier A1 Pérez Elías, María Jesús A1 Muriel, Alfonso A1 Gómez Ayerbe, Cristina A1 Vivancos Gallego, María Jesús A1 Sánchez Conde, Matilde A1 Herrero Delgado, Margarita A1 Pérez Elías, Pilar A1 Polo Benito, Lidia A1 de la Fuente Cortés, Yolanda A1 Barea, Rafael A1 Sullivan, Ann K A1 Fuster Ruiz de Apodaca, Maria Jose A1 Galindo, María José A1 Moreno, Santiago A1 DRIVE 03, OPTtest WP5 and FOCO Study Groups AB Late HIV diagnosis remains one of the challenges in combating the epidemic. Primary care providers play an important role in screening for HIV infection. Our study aims to evaluate the relationship between knowledge and barriers to HIV testing and screening outcomes. The impact of an education program for primary care providers, towards improving HIV testing and late diagnosis rates, is also assessed. A self-administered questionnaire that was developed within the framework of the European project OptTEST was used to examine HIV knowledge and barriers to HIV testing scores before and after being involved in an HIV education program. A quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-intervention measures was performed to investigate its impact. We performed multivariable logistic regression analysis to assess the relationship between variables for the HIV testing offer. A total of 20 primary care centers and 454 primary care staff were included. Baseline OptTEST results showed that more knowledgeable staff offered an HIV test more frequently (OR 1.07; CI 95% 1.01-1.13; p = 0.027) and had lower barrier scores (OR 0.89; CI 95% 0.77-0.95; p = 0.005). Nurses had lower scores in knowledge-related items (OR 0.28; CI 95% 0.17-0.46; p This study highlights the association between knowledge and barriers to HIV testing, including HIV testing rates. It shows that it is possible to modify knowledge and reduce perceived barriers through educational programs, subsequently improving HIV screening outcomes. YR 2019 FD 2019-07-02 LK https://hdl.handle.net/10668/25175 UL https://hdl.handle.net/10668/25175 LA en DS RISalud RD Apr 6, 2025