HIVST POLICY ENVIRONMENT. Following the release of WHO’s first HIVST normative guidance in 2016 and dissemination of HIVST evidence through the STAR initiative globally, many countries have begun to develop and introduce HIVST policies. As of December 2020 eighty eight countries worldwide are actively implementing HIVST. Many more are still developing the necessary strategic plans, regulations, implementation guidance and standard operating procedures needed for scale-up of HIVST and have not reached the stage of large-scale implementation.21 This guide is intended to be a resource for those considering HIVST introduction to help reduce or eliminate barriers to progress. It is hoped that by documenting lessons learnt from experience so far, and by collecting together all the core HIVST program-related tools and guides in one place, that we will support the expansion of HIVST implementation.
