An alternative model of sexually transmissible infection testing in men attending a sex-on-premises venue in Sydney: a cross-sectional descriptive study
Cherie Bennett A B G , Vickie Knight B C , Douglas Knox D , James Gray E , Gemma Hartmann B and Anna McNulty B F
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A NSW Sexually Transmitted Infections Programs Unit, PO Box 1614, Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia.
B Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Sydney Hospital, 8 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2001, Australia.
C The Kirby Institute, Wallace Wurth Building, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
D HIV Related Programs Unit, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, 301 Forbes Street, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia.
E ACON, 414 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills, NSW 2010, Australia.
F School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UNSW Australia, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.
G Corresponding author. Email: Cherie.Bennett@health.nsw.gov.au
Sexual Health 13(4) 353-358 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH15174
Submitted: 3 September 2015 Accepted: 9 March 2015 Published: 23 May 2016
Abstract
Background: Sydney Sexual Health Centre (SSHC) partnered with a large sex-on-premises venue, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District HIV and Related Programs Unit and AIDS Council of NSW (ACON) to develop and implement a community-based sexually transmissible infection (STI) screening model co-located in a sex-on-premises venue. This paper describes the process, the outcomes and examines the cost of this model. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study of gay and bisexual men (GBM) attending a STI testing service co-located in a sex-on-premises venue in Sydney city between the 1 November 2012 and 31 May 2014. Results: A total of 402 patrons had 499 testing episodes in the study period. Testing patrons were a median of 39.5 years of age, 221 (55%) were born overseas, 85 (21%) spoke a language other than English at home and 54 (13%) had a STI at first testing. A total of 105 (26%) testing patrons had never tested for a STI before. Of the 297 (74%) who had been tested before, 83 (21%) had not been tested within the last 12 months. A total of 77 STIs were detected in 63 people over 499 testing episodes, giving a STI positivity rate of 15% in the testing episodes. The prevalence of rectal chlamydia was the highest at 8% followed by pharyngeal gonorrhoea at 3%. A total of 97% of testing patrons were successfully relayed their results via their preferred methods within a median of 7.5 days. Conclusion: This paper highlights that offering STI screening in a community-based setting was an effective and low-cost alternative to traditional testing services.
Additional keywords: chlamydia, computer-assisted self-interview, fast-track testing service, gonorrhoea.
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