rss
Sex Transm Infect 2008;84:235-238 doi:10.1136/sti.2007.025981
  • Health services research

The impact of establishing a local-enhanced service for treating sexually transmitted infections in primary care

  1. H Sohal,
  2. S Creighton,
  3. J Figueroa,
  4. A Gibb
  1. City and Hackney Primary Care Trust, London, UK
  1. S Creighton, Department of Sexual Health, Homerton Hospital, Homerton Row, London E9 5SL, UK; sarah.creighton{at}homerton.nhs.uk
  • Accepted 12 December 2007
  • Published Online First 11 January 2008

Abstract

Objectives: To consider whether a local-enhanced service in sexual health in City and Hackney, London, added to the services already provided within the borough and to compare the cost to the Primary Care Trust of diagnosing sexually transmitted infections (STI) in general practice and in the genitourinary medicine clinic.

Method: An observational study describing the local-enhanced service in primary care, including a quantitative analysis of swabs taken for chlamydial and gonorrhoeal infections at different venues before and after the introduction of the local-enhanced service.

Results: 32 out of 51 general practices (63%) within City and Hackney joined the local-enhanced service. An upward trend in the proportion of chlamydial infection swabs taken in general practice compared with other venues predated the introduction of the local-enhanced service. Practices participating in the local-enhanced service accounted for over 99% of the STI diagnosed in primary care and for 8% of the cases of chlamydial infection diagnosed in the borough. The cost per STI diagnosed within the local-enhanced service was £930.

Conclusion: The local-enhanced service provided a supportive and incentivised framework for STI testing within primary care. An inequity in service provision within general practice predating the local-enhanced service continued at the same level after the introduction of the local-enhanced service.

Footnotes

  • Contributors: HS conducted an initial evaluation of the local-enhanced service and with SC wrote the first and last draft. Statistics were provided by SC. AG helped initiate the local-enhanced service and with JF provided critical appraisal of the manuscript.

  • Competing interests: None declared.

This Article

  1. Abstract
  2. Full text
  3. PDF
  4. All versions of this article:
    1. sti.2007.025981v1
    2. sti.2007.025981v2
    3. 84/3/235 most recent

Responses

  1. Submit a response
  2. No responses published

Register for free content

The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.