TY - JOUR
T1 - Paired Testing of Sexually Transmitted Infections with Urine Pregnancy Tests in Incarcerated Women
AU - Dang, Christine M.
AU - Pao, Julie
AU - Taherzadeh, Dena
AU - Nijhawan, Ank E.
N1 - Funding Information:
Conflict of Interest and Sources of Funding: The authors have no conflicts of interest to share. A.E.N. receives the following grant funding relevant to this project: NIH R34 DA045592 and U01 DA 053039.
Funding Information:
Acknowledgments: The authors would like to thank the Office of Medical Student Research at UT Southwestern Medical Center for the generous support in funding of this project. They would also like to thank Dianne Urey, PA-C (Dallas County Jail interim medical director at the time of this project), and Dallas County Jail nursing staff for their assistance with data collection and guidance of the project.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
PY - 2021/8/1
Y1 - 2021/8/1
N2 - Background In correctional facilities, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are common, are often asymptomatic, and may lead to adverse outcomes such as infertility and increased HIV acquisition. In January 2020, testing for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) was paired with routine urine pregnancy tests among women entering a large county jail to increase testing and detection of STIs. Methods The results of all GC/CT urine tests in the Dallas County Jail were collected from October 2019 to February 2020. Medical records were reviewed to collect demographic factors and to determine the positivity of GC/CT infections, time to results, and time to treatment. Results With paired testing, monthly testing rates increased 4.7-fold among incarcerated females from 125 to 589 tests without substantial change for males (174 to 163). The number of infections detected in females increased from 25 (7%) of 359 to 62 (5.3%) of 1171 for GC and 42 (11.2%) of 374 to 129 (11%) of 1177 for CT without a significant difference in GC (P = 0.23) or CT positivity (P = 0.66). Younger women (≤25 years) had the highest rates of CT (18.8% [66/350]), whereas GC was highest among women aged 31 to 35 years (9.9% [32/321]). Average time to results and treatment were 5.8 and 1.8 days, respectively. Conclusions Pairing GC/CT testing with routine urine pregnancy tests resulted in a large (4.7-fold) increase in the number of STI tests and a comparable increase (3.7- to 4.6-fold) in the number of infections detected. Future efforts should focus on incorporating STI testing into routine jail practices and expediting treatment to further improve outcomes in this vulnerable population.
AB - Background In correctional facilities, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are common, are often asymptomatic, and may lead to adverse outcomes such as infertility and increased HIV acquisition. In January 2020, testing for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) was paired with routine urine pregnancy tests among women entering a large county jail to increase testing and detection of STIs. Methods The results of all GC/CT urine tests in the Dallas County Jail were collected from October 2019 to February 2020. Medical records were reviewed to collect demographic factors and to determine the positivity of GC/CT infections, time to results, and time to treatment. Results With paired testing, monthly testing rates increased 4.7-fold among incarcerated females from 125 to 589 tests without substantial change for males (174 to 163). The number of infections detected in females increased from 25 (7%) of 359 to 62 (5.3%) of 1171 for GC and 42 (11.2%) of 374 to 129 (11%) of 1177 for CT without a significant difference in GC (P = 0.23) or CT positivity (P = 0.66). Younger women (≤25 years) had the highest rates of CT (18.8% [66/350]), whereas GC was highest among women aged 31 to 35 years (9.9% [32/321]). Average time to results and treatment were 5.8 and 1.8 days, respectively. Conclusions Pairing GC/CT testing with routine urine pregnancy tests resulted in a large (4.7-fold) increase in the number of STI tests and a comparable increase (3.7- to 4.6-fold) in the number of infections detected. Future efforts should focus on incorporating STI testing into routine jail practices and expediting treatment to further improve outcomes in this vulnerable population.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85112125181&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85112125181&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001456
DO - 10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001456
M3 - Article
C2 - 34110729
AN - SCOPUS:85112125181
SN - 0148-5717
VL - 48
SP - S20-S25
JO - Sexually Transmitted Diseases
JF - Sexually Transmitted Diseases
IS - 8
ER -