A survey of sexually transmitted diseases/HIV coinfection testing and reporting practices among health care providers in New Jersey.
OBJECTIVE
A survey was conducted to ascertain the adherence of health care providers (HCPs) to national guidelines recommending human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing among persons with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and STD testing among HIV-infected persons.


METHODS
A random sample of HCPs reporting STD and HIV cases in New Jersey were surveyed regarding their STD/HIV testing and reporting practices.


RESULTS
Questionnaires were returned by 90 of 162 (55.5%) STD and 73 of 135 (54.1%) HIV HCPs. Sixty-six percent of STD HCPs reported offering HIV testing to persons with gonorrhea, chlamydia, or syphilis. However, up to 42.1% of HIV HCPs who managed HIV-positive patients never or almost never performed initial STD screening in these patients. Among HIV-infected patients, 36.4% of HIV HCPs reported that they never or almost never conducted annual gonorrhea or chlamydia screening in women; 48.6% never conducted screening in men.


CONCLUSIONS
Further efforts are needed to optimize the implementation of national guidelines for STD/HIV coinfection testing.
Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599, USA. idrod@med.unc.edu
Arlene C
AC
Seña
Kristen J
KJ
Mertz
Dorotha
D
Thomas
Deborah
D
Wells
Sam
S
Costa
William C
WC
Levine
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009515:New Jersey; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011897:Random Allocation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires