Chlamydia testing in general practice – a survey of Victorian general practitioners
Jane S. Hocking A B D , Megan S. C. Lim B , Janaki Vidanapathirana B , Tim R. H. Read B C and Margaret Hellard BA School of Population Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
B Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health Research, Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, PO Box 2284, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia.
C Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, 580 Swanston St, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: jhocking@unimelb.edu.au
Sexual Health 3(4) 241-244 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH06042
Submitted: 11 July 2006 Accepted: 18 October 2006 Published: 17 November 2006
Abstract
Background: To assess the current chlamydia testing practices of Victorian general practitioners (GPs). Methods: GPs were randomly selected from the Australasian Medical Publishing Company’s national database of medical practitioners and mailed a letter of invitation asking them to complete a postal survey. Up to three postal reminders were sent to non-responders. Results: Of 421 eligible GPs, 252 (60%) returned a completed survey; 22.9% (95% CI: 17.8%, 28.6%) reported testing at least some asymptomatic patients for chlamydia each week and 26.8% (95% CI: 21.4%, 32.7%) reported that they presumptively treated patients for chlamydia without testing them at least half the time. The majority knew the appropriate specimens for diagnosing chlamydia, but 6–8% thought blood and 6% indicated that the Pap smear could be used to reliably diagnose chlamydia infection. Conclusions: These findings have implications for the future chlamydia screening pilot program in Australia and indicate that a comprehensive education program will be necessary to inform GPs and equip them with the skills to appropriately test for chlamydia in their practice.
Acknowledgements
Jane Hocking and this study were supported by the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth).
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