Chlamydia and gonorrhea screening and expedited partner therapy (EPT) practices of college student health centers

ABSTRACT

Objective: To examine college student health centers' (SHCs) practices related to sexually transmitted disease (STD) screening and treatment over a 5-year period. Participants: College SHCs that completed the ACHA Pap and STI Survey between 2010 and 2014. Methods: Chi-square tests were conducted with Cramer's V providing a measure of association. Results: Chlamydia screening of women under 25 years of age was a well-established practice. Almost one-third of SHCs did not report screening practices of men who have sex with men (MSM) consistent with current chlamydia and gonorrhea guidelines; however, there was improvement over time. Few college SHCs utilized expedited partner therapy (EPT), though fewer had blanket restrictions prohibiting its use in 2014 compared to 2010. Conclusions: Over the 5-year period, more SHCs followed current best practices. Improvement in compliance with guidelines related to MSM STD screening as well as increased usage of EPT is needed to best address the needs of the diverse college student population.

KEYWORDS:

• Chlamydia
• expedited partner therapy
• gonorrhea
• MSM
• STD screening guidelines
• STD testing

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Thomas Elton IV for his assistance in preparing this manuscript.

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of the University of Missouri, Review #208071.

Funding

No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.

Authors' note

The opinions, findings, and conclusions presented/reported in this article are those of the authors, and are in no way meant to represent the corporate opinions, views, or policies of the American College Health Association (ACHA). ACHA does not warrant nor assume any liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented in this article.