Bilello Lori A, Livingood William C, Lukens-Bull Katryne, Smotherman Carmen, Choe Ulyee
Department of Medicine, Florida Public Health Practice-Based Research Network, and Center for Health Equity and Quality Research, University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Florida (Dr Bilello); Center for Health Equity and Quality Research, University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Florida (Dr Livingood and Mss Lukens-Bull and Smotherman); and Florida Department of Health, St Petersburg, Florida (Dr Choe).
J Public Health Manag Pract. 2019 Mar/Apr;25(2):165-170. doi: 10.1097/PHH.0000000000000795.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to be a major health problem and source of health disparities in the United States. With diminishing resources, public health agencies are challenged to limit inefficient STI practices and still maintain effective population health.
The purpose of this study was to implement a text-messaging strategy to convey STI test results and to assess whether texting positive results was associated with a shorter treatment time frame.
Quasi-experimental design.
Six counties in Florida.
Sexually transmitted infection clients in 6 county health departments.
Clients tested for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis were given the option to receive their results by a text message or the regular notification process (phone or follow-up clinic visit).
The time to treatment after a positive test result for those clients who received their results by a text message versus the regular notification process. Those who were presumptively treated were excluded from the analysis.
Over a 10-month period, 4081 clients were offered the texting option and 47.8% agreed to participate. For the counties combined, there was a higher percentage of those who received treatment within 1 to 4 days who received their positive test results by text message (53.0%) versus those who received their results by traditional methods (42.0%). In addition, there was a lower percentage of those who either did not get treated or were treated 8 days or more who received their positive test results by text message (26.1%) versus those who received their results by traditional methods (35.2%).
Providing a text-messaging option is a viable strategy for clinics to provide timely results to their clients, and these clients were more likely to be treated in 1 to 4 days. Important for public health quality improvement, and increased efficiency and adoption of emerging technologies.
性传播感染（STIs）在美国仍然是一个主要的健康问题和健康差距的来源。随着资源的减少，公共卫生机构面临着限制低效的性传播感染防治措施，同时仍维持有效的人群健康的挑战。
本研究的目的是实施一种短信策略来传达性传播感染检测结果，并评估发送阳性结果短信是否与更短的治疗时间框架相关。
准实验设计。
佛罗里达州的六个县。
六个县卫生部门的性传播感染患者。
对淋病、衣原体和梅毒进行检测的患者可以选择通过短信或常规通知流程（电话或后续门诊就诊）接收检测结果。
通过短信接收检测结果的患者与通过常规通知流程接收检测结果的患者在检测结果呈阳性后开始治疗的时间。推定接受治疗的患者被排除在分析之外。
在10个月的时间里，向4081名患者提供了短信选项，47.8%的患者同意参与。综合这些县的数据，通过短信收到阳性检测结果的患者中，在1至4天内接受治疗的比例（53.0%）高于通过传统方法收到结果的患者（42.0%）。此外，通过短信收到阳性检测结果的患者中，未接受治疗或在8天及以上才接受治疗的比例（26.1%）低于通过传统方法收到结果的患者（35.2%）。
提供短信选项是诊所向患者及时提供检测结果的可行策略，这些患者更有可能在1至4天内接受治疗。这对改善公共卫生质量、提高效率和采用新兴技术具有重要意义。
