A plea for more research on access to sexual health services

Access to sexual health services, by those at highest risk of sexually transmitted infections (STI) is critical to effective STI control. Access to services is determined by the systems that clinics use to prioritize clients. However, despite there being thousands of sexual health services world wid...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International Journal of STD & AIDS 2007-02, Vol.18 (2), p.75-76
Main Authors: FAIRLEY, Christopher K, WILLIAMS, Hennie, LEE, David M, CUMMINAS, Rosey
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
AIDS/HIV
Ambulatory Care Facilities - organization & administration
Appointments and Schedules
Biological and medical sciences
Delivery of Health Care
Epidemiology. Vaccinations
Female
General aspects
Health Services Accessibility
Health Services Research
Humans
Infectious diseases
Male
Medical sciences
Risk Assessment
Sexual Behavior
Sexually Transmitted Diseases - prevention & control
Social Medicine
Triage
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Description
Summary:Access to sexual health services, by those at highest risk of sexually transmitted infections (STI) is critical to effective STI control. Access to services is determined by the systems that clinics use to prioritize clients. However, despite there being thousands of sexual health services world wide, only three published studies in the last 25 years have specifically assessed changes in the process of access to STI clinics in which a control period was used. These studies indicate that appointments booked in advance provide the least access for higher risk clients, whereas both triage systems and systems with a significant proportion of same day appointments improve access. It is likely, however, that many services have changed their practices and evaluation of these changes could provide valuable data to improve the efficiency and hence improve STI control.
ISSN:0956-4624
1758-1052
DOI:10.1258/095646207779949565