WIP 38 - Taking a Screenshot: Implementing Universal Gonorrhea and Chlamydia Screening in an Adolescent and Young Adult Clinic

Publication Number: WIP 38.7613

Colbey Ricklefs, UCSF, San Francicso, CA, United States; Elizaveta Ignatova, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States; Anoushka Sinha, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States; Michelle A. Odette, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States

Background: Nearly half of all new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the U.S. occur in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) aged 15-24. Often asymptomatic, there can be significant consequences of untreated gonorrhea (GC) and chlamydia (CT) infections, including pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. For this reason, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for GC and CT in all sexually active women 24 years or younger. Screening AYAs at annual physicals may improve reproductive outcomes. To reduce barriers and improve screening rates, the UCSF AYA Clinic developed a protocol to universally screen all AYAs from ages 15-26 at their annual physical exams.

Objective: At annual physicals for all patients ages 15-25 in the UCSF AYA Clinic, we aim to increase the percentage of GC/CT tests to 60% by the end of 2024.

Design/Methods: Baseline data from chart review demonstrated that only 27% of patients who presented for an annual physical were screened for GC/CT. Beginning in January 2023, we established a new protocol to screen all patients between 15-26 for GC/CT at their annual physical exams.

We will provide descriptive statistics to explore rates of GC/CT testing each year. To determine if there was a statistically significant difference in rates of screening after implementation of our intervention, we will use ANOVA analysis. Our independent variables will be the year of physical exams for all patients aged 15-26, including both new and established patients, from 2022, 2023, and 2024. Our outcome of interest is the mean number of GC/CT tests conducted throughout the year. Data will be finalized by Jan 2025 and ready for presentation by April 2025. Because this was deemed a quality improvement project, our project was exempt from IRB approval.