title: Management of sexually transmitted infections in New York State health care organizations: who is thinking about the quality of STI care?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rising rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) warrant a renewed focus on the management of STIs in health care organizations. The extent to which hospitals and community health centers (CHCs) have established processes and allocated staff for the management of STIs within their organizations remains poorly understood.
  
  
  METHODS
  A New York State Department of Health survey was distributed electronically through a closed state communication network to targeted administrators at New York State hospitals and CHCs. The survey asked if STI management in their facilities included the following: the ability to measure and report rates of STIs, a process to assess the quality of STI care and treatment outcomes, and a centralized person/unit to coordinate its work throughout the facility. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify whether organizational characteristics were associated with survey findings.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-five percent (243/256) of hospitals and CHCs responded to the survey. Fifty percent of respondents had a person or unit to report rates of STIs; 30% reported an organization-wide process for monitoring the quality of STI care, which, according to the multivariate analysis, was associated with CHCs; only 23% reported having a centralized person or unit for coordinating STI management.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most facilities report STI cases to comply with public health surveillance requirements but do not measure infection rates, assess the quality of STI care, or coordinate its work throughout the facility. The development of this organizational capacity would likely decrease STI rates, improve treatment outcomes, and address local public health goals.
authors.affiliation: From the *Office of the Medical Director, New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) AIDS Institute, New York, NY; †Office of Health Emergency Preparedness, NYSDOH, Menands, NY; and ‡NYSDOH, Bureau of Healthcom Network Systems Management, Menands, NY.
authors.forename: John Patrick B
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Janowski
authors.forename: William S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Garrett
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Feller
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hathaway
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kushner
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pelish
authors.forename: Bruce D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Agins
mesh_terms: D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006761:Hospitals / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011330:Prisons / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D011634:Public Health; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy; D013222:State Medicine / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards