EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:00 A.M. EST, ON DECEMBER 1, 2008
Slate 1
ACP Recommends Routine HIV Screening for All Patients
December 1 is World AIDS Day
American College of Physicians
Video Press Kit
Plus Additional Soundbites & B-Roll
For More Information Please Contact:
American College of Physicians
Angela Collom
215.351.2653
acollom@acponline.org
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D S Simon Productions
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Slate 2
Courtesy the American College of Physicians,
publisher of Annals of Internal Medicine.
Slate 3
Table of Contents:
Story Description
Interview ID’s
Suggested Lead
VOSOTVO
Suggested Tag
B-Roll
Soundbites
Reference Package
Funding Information
Slate 4
Story Description:
World AIDS Day is December 1. In an effort to prevent the spread of HIV, The American
College of Physicians (ACP) is calling for doctors to routinely encourage HIV screening
to all of their patients older than 13 years. This new practice guidance statement
appears on the Annals of Internal Medicine website at www.annals.org.
HIV affects more than one million people in the United States. Every year, about 20,000
new infections are caused by individuals who are unaware that they are infected with
HIV. Timely identification of undiagnosed cases of HIV can help prevent further
transmission.
According to the guidance statement, physicians should offer screening to all patients,
and should determine the need for repeat screening intervals on a case-by-case basis.
Higher risk patients should be retested more frequently than patients who are at
average risk.
Slate 5
Dr. Amir Qaseem
Guideline Author
Slate 6
Dr. Vincenza Snow
American College of Physicians
Slate7
Suggested Lead:
A Medical call to action to mark World AIDS Day… The American College of Physicians
is issuing a guidance statement calling for doctors to routinely offer HIV screening to all
patients.
Video
Audio
Announcer: HIV affects more than one
million people in the United States. Each
year, about 20,000 new infections are
caused by individuals who are unaware
that they are infected with HIV. A new
guidance statement from the American
College of Physicians, published in Annals
of Internal Medicine, calls for physicians to
offer HIV screening to all of their patients
as part of a routine exam.
Dr. Amir Qaseem
Guideline Author
Dr. Amir Qaseem: The purpose of this
guideline is to present the available
evidence from other guidelines regarding
screening for HIV in healthcare settings.
It’s really critical to diagnose HIV as early
as possible to initiate treatment that helps
in increasing the length of life of a patient
as well as decrease transmission.
Dr. Vincenza Snow
American College of Physicians
Dr. Vincenza Snow: I think it’ll be
important because it’ll open up the door for
a discussion between the physician and
the patient. I can say to patients that, as
well as screening for breast cancer or for
colon cancer it’s important to screen for
HIV infection, and I think patients will be
open to thinking about the possibility of
getting screened, and will agree to it more
readily.
Announcer: Screening for HIV consists of
a simple blood test. For more information
about the new ACP guidelines go to
www.annals.org.
Slate 8
Suggested Tag: For more information go to www.annals.org
Slate 9
Additional B-Roll
Slate 10
Additional Soundbites
Dr. Amir Qaseem
Guideline Author
It’s really critical to diagnose HIV as early as possible to initiate treatment that helps in
increasing the length of life of a patient as well as decrease transmission. The call to
action and what ACP is recommending is that physicians adopt routine screening in
their practice and encourage patients to be tested. The decision for pre-testing should
be based on individual assessment of factors such as risk factors for HIV infection.
The American College of Physicians is recommending that physicians adopt routine
screening in their practice and encourage pa...their patients to be tested for HIV. Uh,
the decision for retesting should be based in individualized assessment so such as
factors as uh, risk factors for HIV infection should be considered.
Dr. Vincenza Snow
American College of Physicians
I would now be able to open up the conversation with all of my patients regarding their
HIV status, how important it is to know what your HIV status is regardless of whether
you report risk factors to your physician or not, in order for patients to know what their
status is and not to unwittingly transmit the disease to others.
Patients who are unaware of their HIV infection status are at risk not only for developing
full-blown AIDS without treatment, but also for transmitting the disease to others
unwittingly.
Screening for HIV status is just like getting screened for any other disease like diabetes,
getting your mammogram or getting a colonoscopy. And it’s also doubly important,
because you are not only… It doesn’t only affect the health of the patient, but it can
affect the health of others and all of their sexual contacts. It is very important for them
to be aware of their status, so they don’t transmit the disease to others.
Slate 11
Reference Package:
Video
Audio
Announcer: HIV affects more than one
million people in the United States. Every
year, about 20,000 new infections are
caused by individuals who are unaware of
their HIV status. The American College of
Physicians is issuing a new guidance
statement calling for routine screening for
HIV. The guidance statement is published
in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Dr. Amir Qaseem
Guideline Author
Dr. Amir Qaseem: The purpose of this
guideline is to present the available
evidence from other guidelines regarding
screening for HIV in healthcare settings.
It’s really critical to diagnose HIV as early
as possible to initiate treatment that helps
in increasing the length of life of a patient
as well as decrease transmission.
Announcer: In her clinic, Dr. Vincenza
Snow sees both patients who are at high
risk for HIV infection and those at an
average risk. She thinks the new guidance
statement will help her initiate an HIV
dialogue with all of her patients.
Dr. Vincenza Snow
American College of Physicians
Dr. Vincenza Snow: I think it’ll be
important because it’ll open up the door for
a discussion between the physician and
the patient. I can say to patients that, as
well as screening for breast cancer or for
colon cancer it’s important to screen for
HIV infection, and I think patients will be
open to thinking about the possibility of
getting screened, and will agree to it more
readily.
Announcer: Screening tests for HIV are
relatively simple and can be performed
during a routine office exam. Rapid tests
give immediate results, while traditional
blood tests return results in about a week.
Dr. Qaseem: Screening is done by
utilizing a blood test, and it can be done in
the office setting with a rapid testing, but it
should be also confirmed with traditional
testing.
Dr. Snow: Getting screened for HIV is a
very simple blood test, just like any other
blood test that you get when you go to see
your doctor where you check your blood
sugar or you check for anemia in your red
blood cells.
Announcer: Risk factors for HIV include
unprotected sex with multiple partners;
men having sex with men; IV drug use,
and having a blood transfusion between
1978 and 1986. For more information
about the guidance statement, go to
www.annals.org
Courtesy the American College of Physicians,
publisher of Annals of Internal Medicine.