Health provider perspectives on establishing service linkages for treatment and follow-up from an Australian, web-based STI testing service: a qualitative study
Teralynn Ludwick
A * , Olivia Walsh A , Ethan T. Cardwell A , Christopher K. Fairley B , Jane Tomnay C , Jane S. Hocking A # and Fabian Y. S. Kong A #
A
B
C
# Joint senior author. These authors contributed equally to this paper.
Handling Editor: Phillip Keen
Abstract
Web-based, testing for sexually transmitted infections (STI) is becoming increasingly available. However, treatment pathways from web-based services are often not well-coordinated, contributing to treatment delays and access gaps. This study investigated clinician perspectives on building service linkages with a new, web-based, STI testing service in Victoria, Australia.
We interviewed 16 clinicians from regional/outer metropolitan areas who are part of government-funded, primary care programs to strengthen sexual health services in Victoria. Interviews enquired about: clinician attitudes, considerations for managing referrals, compatibility with clinic systems, and broader policy/healthcare system factors.
Clinicians were enthusiastic, perceived web-based services as complementary (not competition), and believed local treatment pathways were important for patient choice/access. They felt that administrative aspects of handling referrals from an online service could be managed without problems. To inform treatment, clinicians recommended that referral letters from the web-based service list all tests ordered, dates, and complete results. Tensions were raised regarding the utility and appropriateness of including treatment guidelines and pre-prepared prescriptions in referral letters. Respondents reported that most clinics did not stock injectable antibiotics, raising concerns by clinicians about potential treatment delays and privacy challenges related to patient-led procurement at pharmacies.
Our study suggests that clinicians are receptive to local treatment pathways being designed as part of web-based STI testing services, and strengthened service linkages could improve client access, particularly outside urban areas. Capacity-building and additional resourcing of local partner clinics may be needed to support decentralised, patient-centred treatment pathways.
Keywords: Australia, digital health service, primary care, qualitative study, referral system, service linkage, STI screening, treatment management.
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