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Biometric Registration to an HIV Research Study may Deter Participation

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Abstract

Biometric registration may improve services associated with HIV research. A cross-sectional, observational survey was used to evaluate biometric fingerprint scanning for identification (ID) verification in the setting of an HIV prevention study. Survey outcomes were dichotomized (discouraged or not discouraged) by biometric scanning and statistical analyses were used to determine if participation decreased by greater than 10% overall and after stratifying by demographic variables and risk behaviors. 206 participants were recruited from a community-based HIV and sexual health research screening program. Participants completed a quantitative survey to assess their perceptions of biometric scanning for ID verification. The majority of participants (n = 160; 77.7%) indicated no deterrence from testing due to biometric scanning, yet a significant number (n = 45; 23.3%, P < .001) reported at least partial deterrence. Research using biometric scanning for ID verification may significantly limit access to HIV prevention services and may risk reducing meaningful participation among marginalized populations.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Terri Gotschall for her assistance with editing the manuscript. We also thank the funders for their support of this project.

Funding

This research was supported by funds from the following: National Institutes of Health Grants AI106039 and MH100974. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA

    Matthew P. Abrams

  2. New York City, NY, USA

    Felix E. Torres

  3. Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA

    Susan J. Little

Authors
  1. Matthew P. Abrams
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  2. Felix E. Torres
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  3. Susan J. Little
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Matthew P. Abrams or Susan J. Little.

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Conflict of interest

Dr. Little received Grant funding paid to her institution from Gilead Sciences. No other conflict of interest disclosures were reported.

Ethical Approval

The UCSD Human Research Protections Program approved the study protocol and consent with methods carried out in accordance with the UCSD Institutional Review Board’s approved guidelines and regulations. All participants provided voluntary, written informed consent before study enrollment.

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Appendix : Biometrics Survey: Questions and Responses

Appendix : Biometrics Survey: Questions and Responses

Question

Response

N (%)

Biometrics survey

  

Question 1: Participant-management software will allow us to provide a summary of all your test results on a protected website. How important is this to you?

1. Not so important

14 (6.8)

2. Slight important

35 (17.0)

3. Very important

85 (41.3)

4. Extremely important

72 (35.0)

Question 2: Participant-management software will allow us to link your records without asking you to use another password or present a barcode card every time you test with us. Which of the following systems would you be willing to use?

1. Fingerprint scanner

79 (38.3)

2. Palm scanner

6 (2.9)

3. I don’t care, as long as it’s not complicated

80 (38.8)

4. None of the above, I’d rather memorize another password

28 (13.6)

5. None of the above, I am not interested in a person-specific identifier (if checked – skip next question)

13 (6.3)

Question 3: If we decide to use a fingerprint scanner, would this discourage you from free HIV and STD testing with us?

1. Not discourage me at all

160 (77.7)

2. Slightly discourage me

14 (6.8)

3. Somewhat discourage me

8 (3.9)

4. Very much discourage me

6 (2.9)

5. Extremely discourage me

4 (1.9)

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Abrams, M.P., Torres, F.E. & Little, S.J. Biometric Registration to an HIV Research Study may Deter Participation. AIDS Behav 25, 1552–1559 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-020-02995-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-020-02995-y

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