TABLE 3.
Triage Criteria for Identifying Patients Needing a Clinician Evaluation in the Optimized Algorithm, the Public Health–Seattle and King County STD Clinic Current Algorithm as of October 1, 2015, and a Simple Algorithm
| Triage Criteria Indicating Need for a Standard Visit | Optimized Algorithm – Men | Optimized Algorithm – Women* | Current Algorithm | Simple Algorithm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key symptoms† | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Any symptoms | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Contact to STD/HIV | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Positive STD result from another provider and needs treatment | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Sex partner with symptoms | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ≥4 sex partners in the past 2 months | ✓ | |||
| <40 years old | ✓ | |||
| ≤18 years old | ✓ | |||
| Has HIV and has not had an HIV care visit in the past 9 months | ✓ | |||
| Has hepatitis C and wants a referral for care | ✓ | |||
| Has genital herpes and wants preventive or suppressive medication | ✓ | |||
| Heterosexually active female who wants to discuss contraception | ✓ | |||
| Female requesting emergency contraception | ✓ | |||
| Female ≥21 years old who has not had a Pap test in the past year | ✓ | |||
| Ever had a transgender sex partner | ✓ | |||
| Is transgender | ✓ |
Abbreviations: HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; STD, sexually transmitted disease.
Algorithm includes interactions among some of these criteria, so not all patients meeting an individual criterion would be triaged to standard visits.
Key symptoms include anogenital symptoms, abdominal pain (for women), body rash, or symptoms concerning to the patient for acute HIV infection.