Dear Health Advisers,
Re: Towards a better understanding of how the RITA results are interpreted and used in clinical settings
With the development and formal roll-out to all clinics of the RITA results, (formally known as STARHS or detuned assay), the Health Protection Agency has the unique opportunity to assess how health professionals are using this information in their clinical service.
England and Wales are currently the only countries returning the RITA results to the patient, and we are keen to gain a better understanding of how these results are used by health professionals, in particular, during discussions with patients.
If your centre has already introduced RITA, we would appreciate, if you completed the brief questionnaire.
Your responses will be invaluable for guiding us to the benefits of this new test, but also to address any difficulties or concerns you may have.
All information you provide will be treated in complete confidence and will be collated with other responses. No reference will be made to any individual centre/site.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of the study or the questionnaire, please contact Dr Nigel Garrett:
who is coordinating this survey on behalf of the HIV and STI Incidence group at the Health Protection Agency.
Additional information regarding RITA is available on this HPA link:
With best wishes,
Dr Nigel Garrett
Ms Vicky Gilbart
Dr Valerie Delpech