BACKGROUND: Rescreening patients after treatment of Chlamydia trachomatis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection has had high yield but low rates of participation. GOAL: The goal of this study was to determine if rescreening for gonorrhea and chlamydial infection in a largely urban sexually transmitted disease population would be more successful if individuals were given the option of submitting a specimen for testing through the mail. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a randomized clinical trial involving 122 patients of whom 62 were assigned to clinic rescreening and 60 were given the option of either mailing a specimen for testing or going to a clinic for rescreening. RESULTS:Twenty-seven patients (45%) given the option of either rescreening in the clinic or through the mail and 20 (32%) assigned to clinic rescreening were rescreened within 28 days of enrollment in the study (odds ratio, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 0.8-3.8). Of the 60 patients randomized to the clinic rescreening or mailing option, 11 of 18 (61%) who opted to mail in a specimen and 16 of 42 (38%) who chose clinic rescreening were rescreened within 28 days of enrollment (P = 0.10). CONCLUSIONS: Although not statistically significant, this study indicates that mailed rescreening could be a successful method to increase rescreening rates.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Rescreening patients after treatment of Chlamydia trachomatis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection has had high yield but low rates of participation. GOAL: The goal of this study was to determine if rescreening for gonorrhea and chlamydial infection in a largely urban sexually transmitted disease population would be more successful if individuals were given the option of submitting a specimen for testing through the mail. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a randomized clinical trial involving 122 patients of whom 62 were assigned to clinic rescreening and 60 were given the option of either mailing a specimen for testing or going to a clinic for rescreening. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients (45%) given the option of either rescreening in the clinic or through the mail and 20 (32%) assigned to clinic rescreening were rescreened within 28 days of enrollment in the study (odds ratio, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 0.8-3.8). Of the 60 patients randomized to the clinic rescreening or mailing option, 11 of 18 (61%) who opted to mail in a specimen and 16 of 42 (38%) who chose clinic rescreening were rescreened within 28 days of enrollment (P = 0.10). CONCLUSIONS: Although not statistically significant, this study indicates that mailed rescreening could be a successful method to increase rescreening rates.
Authors: Marcia M Hobbs; Barbara van der Pol; Patricia Totten; Charlotte A Gaydos; Anna Wald; Terri Warren; Rachel L Winer; Robert L Cook; Carolyn D Deal; M Elizabeth Rogers; Julius Schachter; King K Holmes; David H Martin Journal: Sex Transm Dis Date: 2008-01 Impact factor: 2.830
Authors: Kirsty S Smith; Jane S Hocking; Marcus Chen; Christopher K Fairley; Anna McNulty; Phillip Read; Catriona S Bradshaw; Sepehr N Tabrizi; Handan Wand; Marion Saville; William Rawlinson; Suzanne M Garland; Basil Donovan; John M Kaldor; Rebecca Guy Journal: BMC Infect Dis Date: 2014-04-24 Impact factor: 3.090
Authors: K S Smith; J M Kaldor; J S Hocking; M S Jamil; A M McNulty; P Read; C S Bradshaw; M Y Chen; C K Fairley; H Wand; K Worthington; S Blake; V Knight; W Rawlinson; M Saville; S N Tabrizi; S M Garland; B Donovan; R Guy Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2016-01-28 Impact factor: 3.295