There are, as with anything, plusses and minuses. For people who cannot be seen getting tested, and there are many, this test will be a huge advance. They will be able to get result, and move forward to seek therapy on their own. It is thought that this will be a particular help to communities where "stigma" deters people from testing. If it works out that way, it is estimated that up to 40,000 new HIV infections will be avoided every year.
I have concerns for sexually active gay men. While the test is good, and based on the "orasure" technology that has been used for years, there are a couple of problems. First, these tests only measure antibodies, unlike the latest blood tests, which also measure virus itself. The home test has a three month window period. Tests done in a medical lab using blood have reduced the window to a week or so. In young people hooking up on the net, this is vital.
Secondly, when done at home, this test has a very significant false negative rate. For every 12 truly positive tests, there will be one person who gets a negative result, but who is, in fact, positive. Using this test to screen sex partners for bareback sex could easily allow lots of new infections.
I do not believe this test is ideal for sexually active gay men, and it is a very bad idea to use test results from the home HIV test to make decisions about bareback sex.
