Diagnosis
| No | % of respondents | |
|---|---|---|
| *25% (n = 509) of the sample either did not answer this question or reported that they didn’t see a physician. | ||
| †25% (n = 513) of the data were coded as missing. | ||
| ‡24% (n = 495) of the participants did not answer this question. | ||
| §24% (n = 500) did not answer the question | ||
| Reason for seeking care at diagnosis* | ||
| Visible herpes lesions | 1192 | 76 |
| Sensory herpes symptoms | 789 | 50 |
| Other recurrent skin problem | 146 | 9 |
| Other local or systemic symptoms | 53 | 3 |
| Fear or desire to learn if infected | 311 | 20 |
| Fear of transmission to others | 207 | 13 |
| Visited doctor for unrelated reason | 135 | 9 |
| Prompted by sexual partner | 93 | 6 |
| Prompted by advice of others | 35 | 2 |
| Method of diagnosis† | ||
| Direct evidence of the virus | 759 | 49 |
| Blood test | 143 | 9 |
| Physical examination | 529 | 34 |
| History without examination | 81 | 5 |
| Self diagnosis | 33 | 2 |
| Other | 17 | 1 |
| Practitioner type or location‡ | ||
| General practitioner | 619 | 39 |
| Obstetrician/gynaecologist | 461 | 29 |
| STD specialist | 136 | 9 |
| Genitourinary medicine physician | 54 | 3 |
| Dermatologist | 59 | 4 |
| Internist | 21 | 1 |
| Other specialist | 10 | 0.6 |
| Nurse | 71 | 4 |
| Physician assistant/nurse practitioner | 25 | 2 |
| Emergency room | 52 | 3 |
| Clinic | 14 | 1 |
| Planned parenthood | 11 | 0.7 |
| Self diagnosis | 29 | 2 |
| Other | 18 | 1 |
| Time with diagnostician§ | ||
| Less than 5 minutes | 579 | 37 |
| 5–15 minutes | 666 | 42 |
| 15–30 minutes | 223 | 14 |
| 30–45 minutes | 68 | 4 |
| More than 45 minutes | 39 | 2 |