Abstract
Background
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) disproportionally affect individuals living in poor and underserved areas of the United States. Emergency Departments (ED) are often the only point of healthcare access for these at-risk individuals. As such, the ED often serves a key role in STI screening. The purpose of this study was to review STI screening practices for men at an urban and community-based ED affiliated with a large academic medical center in Columbus, Ohio.
Methods
Retrospective review of all ED visits from January 2012 to December 2017. A total of 279,929 patient-visits were analyzed for male patients by (1) exposure to an STI (2) STI-related symptoms (penile discharge/pain, scrotal/testicular pain/swelling). We analyzed the demographic characteristics of men who presented to the ED with an STI-related complaint and compared those who underwent STI screening (chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis or HIV) to those that did not.
Results
Table 1.
| Men with STI-Related Chief Complaints (n = 3,281) | Any STI Testing Done 2,274 (69.4%) | No STI Testing Done 1,003 (30.6%) |
|---|---|---|
| Race | ||
| Black | 2,112 (92.8%) | 809 (80.6%) |
| White | 109 (4.7%) | 138 (13.7%) |
| Other | 53 (2.3%) | 56 (5.5%) |
| Median age (IQR) | 30 (23–44) | 27 (23–36) |
| Presenting Complaint | ||
| Males exposed to STI 1,459 (14.9%) | 1,120 (76.8%) | 339 (23.2%) |
| Males with symptoms 1,809 (20.9%) | 1,154 (63.8%) | 655 (36.2%) |
Conclusion
Over a 5-year period, screening for chlamydia, gonorrhea for men presenting with STI-related complaints was adequate. However, syphilis and HIV screening was very low among men presenting to an urban and community-based ED with an STI-related complaint. A separate analysis for women is being done. There is an urgent need to identify and eliminate barriers to syphilis and HIV screening in ED’s that serve at-risk populations.
| Testing Done (n = 2,274) | |
|---|---|
| Chlamydia | 2,269 (99.7%) |
| Gonorrhea | 2,267(99.6%) |
| Syphilis | 33 (1.4%) |
| HIV | 1 (<0.1%) |
Disclosures
All authors: No reported disclosures.
Session: 149. Sexually Transmitted Infections
Friday, October 5, 2018: 12:30 PM