BACKGROUND: To assess the current chlamydia testing practices of Victorian general practitioners (GPs). METHODS: GPs were randomly selected from the Australasian Medical Publishing Company's national database of medical practitioners and mailed a letter of invitation asking them to complete a postal survey. Up to three postal reminders were sent to non-responders. RESULTS: Of 421 eligible GPs, 252 (60%) returned a completed survey; 22.9% (95% CI: 17.8%, 28.6%) reported testing at least some asymptomatic patients for chlamydia each week and 26.8% (95% CI: 21.4%, 32.7%) reported that they presumptively treated patients for chlamydia without testing them at least half the time. The majority knew the appropriate specimens for diagnosing chlamydia, but 6-8% thought blood and 6% indicated that the Pap smear could be used to reliably diagnose chlamydia infection. CONCLUSIONS: These findings have implications for the future chlamydia screening pilot program in Australia and indicate that a comprehensive education program will be necessary to inform GPs and equip them with the skills to appropriately test for chlamydia in their practice.
BACKGROUND: To assess the current chlamydia testing practices of Victorian general practitioners (GPs). METHODS: GPs were randomly selected from the Australasian Medical Publishing Company's national database of medical practitioners and mailed a letter of invitation asking them to complete a postal survey. Up to three postal reminders were sent to non-responders. RESULTS: Of 421 eligible GPs, 252 (60%) returned a completed survey; 22.9% (95% CI: 17.8%, 28.6%) reported testing at least some asymptomatic patients for chlamydia each week and 26.8% (95% CI: 21.4%, 32.7%) reported that they presumptively treated patients for chlamydia without testing them at least half the time. The majority knew the appropriate specimens for diagnosing chlamydia, but 6-8% thought blood and 6% indicated that the Pap smear could be used to reliably diagnose chlamydia infection. CONCLUSIONS: These findings have implications for the future chlamydia screening pilot program in Australia and indicate that a comprehensive education program will be necessary to inform GPs and equip them with the skills to appropriately test for chlamydia in their practice.
Authors: Anna Yeung; Meredith Temple-Smith; Simone Spark; Rebecca Guy; Christopher K Fairley; Matthew Law; Anna Wood; Kirsty Smith; Basil Donovan; John Kaldor; Jane Gunn; Marie Pirotta; Rob Carter; Jane Hocking Journal: BMC Infect Dis Date: 2014-11-07 Impact factor: 3.090
Authors: Jade E Bilardi; Lena A Sanci; Christopher K Fairley; Jane S Hocking; Danielle Mazza; Dot J Henning; Susan M Sawyer; Michelle J Wills; Debra A Wilson; Marcus Y Chen Journal: BMC Infect Dis Date: 2009-03-12 Impact factor: 3.090
Authors: Meredith J Temple-Smith; Donna Mak; Jan Watson; Lisa Bastian; Anthony Smith; Marian Pitts Journal: BMC Fam Pract Date: 2008-02-29 Impact factor: 2.497
Authors: Jane S Hocking; Rhian M Parker; Natasha Pavlin; Christopher K Fairley; Jane M Gunn Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2008-12-30 Impact factor: 3.295
Authors: Rebecca Lorch; Jane Hocking; Meredith Temple-Smith; Matthew Law; Anna Yeung; Anna Wood; Alaina Vaisey; Basil Donovan; Christopher K Fairley; John Kaldor; Rebecca Guy Journal: BMC Fam Pract Date: 2013-11-13 Impact factor: 2.497