scholarly journals A cohort study comparing rate of repeat testing for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections between clients of an internet-based testing programme and of sexually transmitted infection clinics in Vancouver, Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (7) ◽  
pp. 540-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Gilbert ◽  
Travis Salway ◽  
Devon Haag ◽  
Elizabeth Elliot ◽  
Christopher Fairley ◽  
...  

ObjectivesInternet-based sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection (STBBI) testing services reduce testing barriers through bypassing face-to-face clinical encounters, potentially enabling clients at ongoing sexual risk to test more frequently. To our knowledge, this hypothesis has not been previously tested. We compared the frequency of repeat testing between Vancouver-based clients of GetCheckedOnline (GCO)—an internet-based STBBI testing service in British Columbia, Canada—and clients of three sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinics in Vancouver for 29 months after GCO launched.MethodsAn administrative data cohort (n=19 497) was assembled using GCO, clinical and laboratory databases. We included all individuals who tested for HIV, gonorrhoea/chlamydia, syphilis or hepatitis C at three STI clinics or using GCO, between September 2014 and February 2017. The rate of repeat testing (>30 days after first episode) was compared between clients who used GCO at least once and those who tested only in STI clinics. Poisson regression was used to generate relative rate (RR) for repeat testing, with adjustment for age, gender/sexual orientation, risk factors (eg, history of STI diagnosis) and rate of testing before GCO launched.Results1093 GCO clients were identified, of whom 434 (40%) had repeat test episodes; 8200/18 404 (45%) of clinic clients tested more than once. During the 29-month analysis period, GCO clients repeat tested 1.87 times per person-year, whereas clinic clients repeat tested 1.53 times per person-year, resulting in a crude RR of 1.22 (95% CI: 1.14 to 1.31). Adjustment for covariates increased the RR to 1.26 (95% CI: 1.15 to 1.37).ConclusionsIn this cohort, individuals using internet-based STBBI testing had a rate of repeat testing 22% greater than clinic-based clients. This effect was increased after adjusting for characteristics associated with higher test frequency. The online interface of GCO may facilitate more frequent testing and may therefore contribute to earlier STBBI diagnosis.

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-37
Author(s):  
Heidi Luft ◽  
Weiming Ke ◽  
Lara Trifol ◽  
Mina Halpern ◽  
Elaine Larson

Introduction: Research is needed to identify influences on safe sex communication among specific culture groups. This study aimed to (1) describe sexual behaviors and indicators of sexual power among partnered Dominican women and (2) identify which of these indicators are significantly associated with safe sex communication. Methodology: Cross-sectional surveys, grounded in the theory of gender and power, were conducted with 100 partnered women at a clinic in southeastern Dominican Republic. Linear regression modeling was used to identify significant associations. Results: Self-efficacy (β = 0.48), total personal monthly income (β = 0.21), and history of sexually transmitted infection (β = 0.19) were significantly associated with higher level of partner safe sex communication. Discussion: Nurse clinicians, educators, and researchers should consider self-efficacy, personal income, and history of sexually transmitted infection when addressing communication in HIV prevention efforts among Dominican women.


2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 518-519
Author(s):  
L Mercer ◽  
T C Harry

We retrospectively reviewed partner notification of patients diagnosed with first episode genital warts seen in the genitourinary (GU) medicine clinic, Great Yarmouth, UK, from January 2005 to December 2008. Of 947 patients diagnosed with genital warts, 486 (51.3%) were men, median age 25 years; 461 (48.7%) were women, median age 21 years and the partner notification index was 32.9%. In our cohort, 310 patients 33.2% reported having had a casual partner that could not be traced. The median relationship duration of partners whose contact attended was nine months and those whose contact did not attend was two months, (χ2 = 49.72, P < 0.0001). The odds ratio (OR) of a contact attending after seeing a health adviser was 2.94 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.79–4.86). In our cohort 35.6% of contacts whose partners saw a health adviser attended compared with 15.7% of contacts whose partner did not see a health adviser (χ2 = 19.7, P < 0.0001). Among the contacts 26% had genital warts, 28% had another sexually transmitted infection (STI) and 12% had both genital warts and another STI. The low partner notification index was associated with the reported casual partnerships seen in the cohort. Partner notification was enhanced when patients saw a health adviser.


2022 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Genta Nallbani ◽  
Lindita Agolli

This study aims to provide detailed information about HPV as a widespread sexually transmitted infection, which is considered one of the most important factors in the occurrence of cervical cancer in young girls,emphasizing the connection between infection.Participants were 126 randomly choosed young girls at the master's level student at Sport University of Tirana.Date were collected using a questionnaire investigating risk factors as well as knowledge on this sexually transmitted infection of HPV where through a descriptive and informative letter which was distributed to all girls participating in this study.From this study it was observed that a significant number of them were aware of the virus and ways of transmission 81 girls (64.28%),of which 22 girls (17.46%) had in hearing that it was a sexually transmitted virus, 11 girls (8.73%) had read that this virus could cause cervical cancer, 9 (7.14%) of whom had heard of an HPV-related vaccine,while 3 of them (2.39) refused to complete this questionnaire.From the data collected in this study it was noticed that information and awareness campaigns should be carried out immediately for this age group as the most at risk in relation to sexually transmitted infections and in particular HPV,enabling in this form the ability to care more specifically for their health thus preventing very dangerous pathologies such as cervical cancer.However for this aspiration to be realized,in practice requires a greater understanding on the part of these young girls of the natural history of early HPV infection and its role in creating cervical epithelial abnormalities.


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