HIV assessment and testing for hospital inpatients: still a weak link in the cascade

Since 2007, the World Health Organization has recommended that in countries with generalized HIV epidemics, HIV testing and counselling should be offered to all adults and adolescents seen in a health facility (1). This recommendation had been policy in Uganda since 2005 (2). However, evidence suggests that translation of this policy to practice in real-world settings has been patchy and that missed opportunities with HIV testing in the inpatient setting are still contributing to HIV related deaths (3,4).