Self-administered questionnaires may help us identify young adults worth screening for sexually transmitted infections.
The CDC recommends annual screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea for at-risk youth, but is this the responsibility of the emergency department (ED)? Investigators at a single academic ED assessed whether a computerized, self-administered questionnaire that focused on testing history, sexual activity, and symptoms could help make screening efficient and effective.
Of 1337 ED patients aged 15–21 asked to participate, 800 (60%) were enrolled. The questionnaire's results indicated a need for testing in 52% of these patients, and within that group, 53% were actually tested. Of these, 18% (40/221) tested positive for gonorrhea or chlamydia. Of the 40 patients who tested positive, 22 (55%) had chief complaints not related to sexually transmitted inf…
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education
Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education
Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals