| Agreed to GUM clinic letter to GP | Disagreed to GUM clinic letter to GP | p Value | 95% CI for OR | |
| Patient numbers | 187 | 337 | ||
| Gender | 0.782 | 0.66–1.37 | ||
| Male | 112 (35%) | 206 (65%) | ||
| Female | 75 (36%) | 131 (64%) | ||
| Sexual orientation | 0.021 | 1.09–3.14 | ||
| Heterosexual | 166 (38%) | 273 (62%) | ||
| MSM/bisexual | 21 (25%) | 64 (75%) | ||
| Age group | 0.160* | 0.32–1.21 | ||
| ⩾18* | 13 (26%) | 36 (74%) | ||
| <18 | 174 (37%) | 301 (63%) | ||
| Referral route for clinic attendance | <0.001 | 1.51–4.20 | ||
| GP referral (direct/indirect)† | 38 (55%) | 31 (45%) | ||
| Other | 149 (33%) | 306 (67%) | ||
| Reason for clinic attendance | 0.673 | 0.64–1.34 | ||
| Routine STI screen | 67 (34%) | 127 (66%) | ||
| Other‡ | 120 (36%) | 210 (64%) | ||
| HIV sero-status | 0.081 | 0.90–4.53 | ||
| Positive | 13 (52%) | 12 (48%) | ||
| Negative/unknown¶ | 174 (35%) | 325 (65%) | ||
| STI diagnosis at clinic attendance | 0.052 | 0.46–1.01 | ||
| Yes | 49 (30%) | 116 (70%) | ||
| No | 138 (38%) | 221 (62%) | ||
| Patient assumption HIV test affects mortgage applications | 0.005 | 0.26–0.79 | ||
| Yes | 18 (22%) | 64 (78%) | ||
| No | 169 (38%) | 273 (62%) | ||
| Patient assumption HIV test affects life insurance applications | 0.033 | 0.45–0.97 | ||
| Yes | 59 (30%) | 138 (70%) | ||
| No | 128 (39%) | 199 (61%) |
*The data was re-analysed following division into four age groups of roughly equal size: >20 years, 20–24 years, 25–34 years, <35 years and again the p value was non-significant.
†Direct and indirect referrals were also analysed individually. There was no significant difference in agreement to clinic letter between the two groups.
‡The “other” group included patients who attended for a variety of reasons, including those who attended because of symptoms (209), as known contacts of an infection (64) and for a review appointment within the same care episode (28).
¶Of this group 184 had never tested at our GUM department and 315 had tested negative.
GP, general practitioner; GUM, genitourinary medicine; MSM, men who have sex with men.