Early HIV diagnosis and treatment offer benefits including reduced morbidity and mortality, avoidance of hospital admission, prevention of HIV transmission and better quality of life through appropriate treatment, care, and support (9).  Nurses working in a wide range of settings – sexual health, viral hepatitis and HIV, primary care, community health, custodial settings, the drug and alcohol sector and homelessness services – can play key roles in increasing awareness and access to HIV testing for vulnerable groups and in promoting HIV testing with appropriate pre-test education to avoid late diagnoses and their complications. 

Strategies to promote early diagnosis and treatment initiation in Australia include HIV testing during antenatal screening (10) and regular sexually transmissible infection (STI) screening for men who have sex with men (11). However, there are gaps in reaching those who may not perceive themselves as being at risk of HIV infection: for example, older adults, women, and heterosexual males. Nurses working in community health and primary care can assess risk and offer testing for HIV infection in individuals who present for general age-related medical examinations such as women attending for cervical screening tests or those seeking reproductive health services. Nurses involved in the development of Medicare-funded care plans can introduce questioning around relationships and sexual health, especially in older adults disclosing risk behaviours and those with unexplained illnesses.  An HIV Clinical Indicator Tool can provide a useful guide to testing in all settings (12).