Date of Award

8-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing (Graduate)

First Advisor

Kristen Slabaugh

Abstract

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is the most common reportable sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States. Despite regulatory agencies’ recommendations, routine CT screening is not being performed in many high-risk settings. Problem: The burden of undetected CT infections is substantial to patients and the healthcare system. There is a lack of consensus regarding an effective standardized CT screening strategy and screening rates remain suboptimal. Methods: A standardized CT screening, testing, and treatment process was implemented in Spring of 2020 and compared to screening rates pre-intervention in Spring 2019. Intervention: A 3-question sexual health screening questionnaire (SHSQ) was administered to all patients aged 18 - 24 years seeking care at the Millersville University Health Center (MUHS). Results: There were 1613 visits from Spring 2019 (n=675) and Spring 2020 (n=938) semesters. The final sample of 473 visits included those screened in Spring 2019 (n=65) and Spring 2020 (n=408). The screening rate increased from 9.6% in Spring 2019 to 43.5% in Spring 2020. There was a statistically significant difference in the pre- and post-groups who received a CT test (100% vs.18.4%, respectively, p = .00). Among the 140 students tested for CT, there was no statistically significant difference in detection of CT between the 2019 and the 2020 group and all students who tested positive were treated. Conclusion: This project resulted in an increase of 34 percentage points in CT screening at MUHS. The findings of this project reinforce regulatory agencies’ concerns that CT screening rates remain suboptimal as only 34.3% of participants indicated they were tested for CT within the past year (n=140).

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