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HIV Point of Care (Rapid) test
Point of Care (POC) HIV tests are also known as “rapid” tests and are used to screen for HIV antibodies. POC tests can be performed in clinics or other health care settings and results are available within minutes.
The INSTI test kit is the only rapid HIV test that is licenced for use in Canada. The test uses a few drops of blood, which are taken from a finger poke. People who test negative will know their result within a few minutes. If the test is positive, it is not a final result and blood is taken from the arm and sent to the lab to confirm the result. If the test is negative, it is considered very accurate for the window period.
It can take 3 to 12 weeks for this test to detect antibodies in the blood, which is known as the window period.
Use our clinic finder to find out which clinics and other locations offer POC testing in BC.
Resources
CATIE – Information about point of care HIV testing
INSTI – information about how the point of care HIV test works