An Updated Spreadsheet Tool to Estimate the Health and Economic Benefits of STI and HIV Prevention Activities.

Background: This manuscript describes an updated spreadsheet tool that sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention programs in the United States can use to estimate the health and economic benefits of their STI and HIV prevention activities.

Methods: The development of the updated tool, STIC (Sexually Transmitted Infection Costs) Figure 2.0, involved two main components.

An Interactive Modeling Tool for Projecting the Health and Direct Medical Cost Impact of Changes in the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Prevention Program Budgets.

Context: Estimating the return on investment for public health services, tailored to the state level, is critical for demonstrating their value and making resource allocation decisions. However, many health departments have limited staff capacity and expertise to conduct economic analyses in-house.

Program: We developed a user-friendly, interactive Excel-based spreadsheet model that health departments can use to estimate the impact of increases or decreases in sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention funding on the incidence and direct medical costs of chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and STI-attributable HIV infections.

Ending the HIV Epidemic: Contributions Resulting From Syphilis Partner Services.

Background: There is a high level of coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among persons diagnosed with syphilis in the United States. Public health workers at state and local health departments help inform exposed partners to sexually transmitted disease (STD)/HIV infections to facilitate early testing and treatment (partner services). The federal initiative, Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE), identifies 4 key strategies: diagnose, treat, prevent, and respond.

The Use of Technology for Sexually Transmitted Disease Partner Services in the United States: A Structured Review.

Background: Since the late 1990s, health departments and sexually transmitted disease (STD) programs throughout the United States have used technologies, such as the Internet and mobile phones, to provide services to persons with a sexually transmitted infection, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and their sex partners, also known as partner services. This study reviewed the published literature to assess and compare partner services outcomes as a result of using technology and to calculate cost savings through cases averted.

Methods: We conducted a structured literature review of all US studies that examined the use of technology to notify persons exposed to an STD (syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea), including HIV, by health care professionals in the United States from 2000 to 2017.

Partner Services in Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention Programs: A Review.

Background: Partner services have been a mainstay of public health sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention programs for decades. The principal goals are to interrupt transmission and reduce STD morbidity and sequelae. In this article, we review current literature with the goal of informing STD prevention programs.

Chlamydia screening and positivity in juvenile detention centers, United States, 2009-2011.

An estimated 2.9 million new chlamydia infections occur in the United States each year. Among women, chlamydia can lead to serious adverse outcomes, including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.

Assessing the role of prevention partnerships in STD prevention: a review of comprehensive STD prevention systems progress reports.

Systematic analysis of STD programme data contributes to a national portrait of sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention activities, including research and evaluation specifically designed to optimise programme efficiency and impact. We analysed the narrative of the 2009 annual progress reports of the US Comprehensive STD Prevention Systems cooperative agreement for 58 STD programmes, concentrating on programme characteristics and partnerships. Programmes described 516 unique partnerships with a median of seven organisations cited per STD programme.

Sexually transmitted diseases program performance measures: how are they performing?

Background: Performance measures were developed in order to improve the performance of sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention programs.

Methods: A consultant worked with persons from STD programs and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify possible measures. Measures were pilot tested for feasibility and relevance in several programs, then implemented nationwide in 2004.

Formulas for estimating the costs averted by sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention programs in the United States.

Background: Sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention programs can mitigate the health and economic burden of STIs. A tool to estimate the economic benefits of STI programs could prove useful to STI program personnel.

Methods: We developed formulas that can be applied to estimate the direct medical costs and indirect costs (lost productivity) averted by STI programs in the United States.

Estimates of primary and secondary syphilis rates in persons with HIV in the United States, 2002.

Background: In the United States, there is a high rate of HIV coinfection in persons with syphilis.

Goal: The goal of this study was to estimate the rate of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis in persons living with HIV in the United States in 2002.

Study: We approximated the number of new cases of P&S syphilis in HIV-infected persons and divided this by the estimated number of persons living with HIV.