Genital chlamydia in southern New South Wales: an ecological analysis of testing and notification patterns 2004-2008.

OBJECTIVE

To identify demographic patterns for chlamydia testing rates on reported general practice (GP) visits and notification rates in residents of Greater Southern Area Health Service (GSAHS) for the period 2004-2008.

DESIGN

Descriptive analysis of presentation and chlamydia-specific Medicare data and chlamydia notifications made to GSAHS Public Health Unit.

SETTING

Rural and remote southern New South Wales.

PARTICIPANTS

Residents of GSAHS who had a Medicare recorded visit to a GP and chlamydia pathology collected in the period July 2004 to June 2008, and those residents notified to the GSAHS Public Health Unit with a positive chlamydia test results.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Age and gender trends for GP visits, chlamydia testing and chlamydia notifications.

RESULTS

While chlamydia testing and notification rates increased over the review period, the percentage of chlamydia tests performed remained low. There was a greater increase in testing rates among women than men, and the highest were among women aged 15-24. Chlamydia notification rates increased across all age groups and were greater in women aged 15-24 than men of the same age group.

CONCLUSION

The low proportion of tests performed to presentations (in conjunction with the high proportion of notifications to tests performed) reflects that chlamydia testing among providers is still being undertaken in a targeted approach rather than from a population-focused screening perspective. Further work with GPs is required to improve chlamydia screening rates, and ensure practice is consistent with national guidelines.