Efficacy of interventions to increase the uptake of chlamydia screening in primary care: a systematic review
2011

Increasing Chlamydia Screening in Primary Care

Sample size: 16 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Guy Rebecca J, Ali Hammad, Liu Bette, Poznanski Simone, Ward James, Donovan Basil, Kaldor John, Hocking Jane

Primary Institution: The Kirby Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Hypothesis

What interventions can effectively increase the uptake of chlamydia screening in primary care?

Conclusion

Interventions that promoted the universal offer of a chlamydia test in young people had the greatest impact on increasing screening in primary care.

Supporting Evidence

  • Six out of 15 interventions targeting young females showed significant increases in screening rates.
  • Two out of six interventions targeting young males also showed significant increases.
  • A multifaceted quality improvement program led to a 673% increase in screening among young males in Denmark.
  • Linking chlamydia screening with Pap smears increased screening rates among females.
  • Computer alerts for doctors resulted in a small but significant increase in screening rates.

Takeaway

This study looked at different ways to get more young people tested for chlamydia, and found that making testing a regular part of doctor visits worked best.

Methodology

Systematic review of studies comparing chlamydia screening rates with and without interventions.

Potential Biases

Observational studies did not adjust for baseline differences between intervention and control groups.

Limitations

The review did not include grey literature and some studies lacked randomization, which may have biased results.

Participant Demographics

Studies included young people, primarily aged 15-24, from various countries including Australia, the US, and the UK.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.001

Confidence Interval

95% CI

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2334-11-211

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