title: Frequency and thoroughness of STD/HIV risk assessment by physicians in a high-risk metropolitan area.
abstract: The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that all primary care physicians assess the sexually transmitted disease/human immunodeficiency virus (STD/HIV) risk of all adolescent and adult patients. To determine whether factors amenable to change through continuing medical education are associated with frequent and thorough STD/HIV risk assessment, a telephone survey of primary care physicians in the Washington, DC metropolitan area was conducted (n = 961). Thirty-seven percent of physicians reported regularly asking new adult patients about their sexual practices; 60% asked new adolescent patients. STD/HIV risk questioning was associated with physicians' confidence in their ability to help prevent HIV, comfort with discussing patients' sexual practices, and perception of a large STD/HIV problem in their practice. These findings suggest that continuing medical education should target improvement in physicians' sexual practice questioning skills.
authors.affiliation: Georgetown University School of Medicine, Department of Community and Family Medicine, Washington, DC 20007.
authors.forename: B O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Boekeloo
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Marx
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Kral
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Coughlin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bowman
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Rabin
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003376:Counseling / Q000592:standards; D004219:District of Columbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000592:standards; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015497:HIV-1; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000592:standards*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires