Point-of-care tests for sexually transmissible infections: what do 'end users' want?

Background: Clinicians and developers identify sensitivity as an important quality in a point-of-care test (POCT) for sexually transmissible infections (STIs). Little information exists regarding what patients want for STI POCTs.

Methods: A qualitative study, encompassing five focus groups among attendees of STI and adolescent health centres in Baltimore, Maryland, and Cincinnati, Ohio, were conducted between March 2008 and April 2009.

Characteristics and predictors of women who obtain rescreening for sexually transmitted infections using the www.iwantthekit.org screening programme.

Professional organizations recommend rescreening chlamydia-infected women. The iwantthekit Internet-screening programme offered rescreening opportunities by using iwantthekit. Mailed, home-collected vaginal swabs were tested for chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and trichomoniasis by nucleic acid amplification tests.

What do we know about males and emergency contraception? A synthesis of the literature.

Context: Unintended pregnancy rates are high in the United States. It is important to know whether improving males' access to emergency contraceptive pills may help prevent unintended pregnancy, especially in cases of -condom failure.

Methods: A search of the PubMed, PsycINFO and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases was conducted to identify studies published from January 1980 to April 2011 concerning males and emergency contraception.

Minding the Gap: An approach to determine critical drivers in the development of Point of Care diagnostics.

INTRODUCTION: A point of care test (POCT) for Chlamydia trachomatis detection is an urgent public health need. Technology advances in diagnostics have made solutions possible. Yet no reliable POCT exist.

Perceptions on Point-of-Care Tests for Sexually Transmitted Infections - Comparison between Frontline Clinicians and Professionals in Industry.

OBJECTIVES: To determine if a gap exists between sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinicians and industry professionals regarding perceptions of the ideal types and characteristics of STI point-of-care tests (POCTs). METHODS: Our online survey design contained sections on demographics; barriers of use for available STI POCTs; characteristics of an ideal POCT, including prioritizing pathogens for targets; and "building your own POCT". Practicing clinicians and academic experts from two venues, STI-related international conference attendees and U.

Trichomonas vaginalis infection in women who submit self-obtained vaginal samples after internet recruitment.

Background: Submission of self-obtained vaginal samples (SOVs) collected at home could remove barriers that women face in getting tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Internet recruitment of SOVs is highly acceptable.

Methods: Sexually active women ≥14 years were recruited by an educational Internet program, available at: www.

What qualities are most important to making a point of care test desirable for clinicians and others offering sexually transmitted infection testing?

Background: To investigate the possible effects of different levels of attributes of a point-of-care test (POCT) on sexually transmitted infection (STI) professionals' decisions regarding an ideal POCT for STI(s).

Methods: An online survey was designed based on a large-scale in-depth focus discussion study among STI experts and professionals. The last section of the survey "build your own POCT" was designed by employing the discrete choice experiment approach.

Chlamydia trachomatis age-specific prevalence in women who used an internet-based self-screening program compared to women who were screened in family planning clinics.

Objectives: To determine whether women who collect self-collected vaginal swabs at home demonstrated a higher positivity of Chlamydia trachomatis than women in family planning clinics.

Methods: Collection kits for vaginal swabs were internet requested, collected at home, and mailed to a laboratory for testing; questionnaires were completed about acceptability and sexual risk history. Infected women received treatment at participating clinics.

Perceptions of an ideal point-of-care test for sexually transmitted infections--a qualitative study of focus group discussions with medical providers.

Background: A point-of-care test (POCT) for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which offers immediate diagnosis resulting in patients receiving diagnosis and treatment in a single visit, has the ability to address some of the STI control needs. However, needs assessment from STI experts and end users about currently available STI POCTs and their future new development has not been evaluated since World Health Organization Sexually Transmitted Diseases Diagnostics Initiative was formed over 15 years ago. Therefore, our objective was to explore the perceptions of the ideal types of STI POCT for use in health care settings.

Internet-based screening for sexually transmitted infections to reach nonclinic populations in the community: risk factors for infection in men.

Background: Internet-based screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has been acceptable to women, and can reach high-risk populations. No prior published data describe internet-based screening for Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas vaginalis in men. We studied whether internet-based screening was acceptable and reached a high-risk population, and what risk factors were associated with STI positivity.

Cardiac EASE (Ensuring Access and Speedy Evaluation) - the impact of a single-point-of-entry multidisciplinary outpatient cardiology consultation program on wait times in Canada.

Background: Universal access to health care is valued in Canada but increasing wait times for services (eg, cardiology consultation) raise safety questions. Observations suggest that deficiencies in the process of care contribute to wait times. Consequently, an outpatient clinic was designed for Ensuring Access and Speedy Evaluation (Cardiac EASE) in a university group practice, providing cardiac consultative services for northern Alberta.

Cardiac EASE (Ensuring Access and Speedy Evaluation)--design of a single point of entry and a multidisciplinary team to reduce waiting times in the Canadian health care system.

Out-patient cardiac consultation in academic group practices often lacks a coordinated intake process, making it difficult to perform prospective testing or to direct undifferentiated consultations to the cardiologist with the shortest waiting list. We created a programmatic approach, with a single point of entry to improve the efficiency of cardiology consultation, without departing from the Canada Health Act. The purpose of this paper is to describe the design of Cardiac EASE.

The use of focus groups to design an internet-based program for chlamydia screening with self-administered vaginal swabs: what women want.

Objective: To ascertain the opinions, concerns and perceptions of sexually active women to guide the development of an internet-based chlamydia outreach and screening program using self-administered vaginal swabs as a first step to prevention.

Methods: Seven focus groups were conducted by trained facilitators. Questions were designed to initially open the discussion and elicit the members' own perceptions.

Internet-based screening for Chlamydia trachomatis to reach non-clinic populations with mailed self-administered vaginal swabs.

Background: Testing for Chlamydia trachomatis by nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) using self-collected vaginal swabs (VS) is acceptable and accurate. The objectives were to implement an educational Internet-based program for women to facilitate home screening, to determine whether women would request and use self-collected VS kits, to determine associated risk factors for infection, and to determine satisfaction with the process.

Methods: The website, www.