Background:
Annual chlamydia/gonorrhea screening is recommended for young sexually active women. One recent Colorado survey found 54% of providers reported screening adolescent females regularly for chlamydia.

Objective:
To assess frequency and predictors of New York City (NYC) provider screening for chlamydia/gonorrhea among sexually active female adolescents.

Method:
In November 2004 we mailed surveys to a random sample of 2,000 NYC providers, including physicians (MDs/DOs), nurse practitioners, (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), obtained from a proprietary database. Survey questions ascertained frequency of provider chlamydia and gonorrhea screening. Response categories were dichotomized into “at least annual” screening and “less than annual” screening.

Result:
We obtained responses from 42% (695/1647 successfully delivered surveys). After limiting analyses to providers who reported treating adolescent females, results were available for 425 providers (295 MD/DOs; 59NP; 71PAs).. Annual chlamydia screening was reported by 54.1% (230/425); annual gonorrhea screening by 52.9% (225/425), and did not vary by provider type. Multivariate analyses indicated similar predictors for chlamydia and gonorrhea screening: female provider sex (chlamydia, OR=2.8, p<0.0005; Gonorrhea, OR=2.3, p<.005); having diagnosed a case of chlamydia or gonorrhea in the past year (chlamydia, OR=4.7, p=0.0001; gonorrhea, OR=4.9, p=0.0001); and patient load of <50 patients/week (chlamydia, OR=2.2, p<.01; gonorrhea OR=2.0, p=.01). OB/GYNS were more likely than internists to conduct annual chlamydia screening (OR=6.0, p<0.0005). OB/GYNS were also more likely than internists to conduct annual gonorrhea screening (OR=8.1, p<0.0001), as were family practitioners (OR=3.1, p<0.05), and pediatricians (OR=2.3, p<0.05).

Conclusion:
The proportion of NYC providers that report screening female adolescents annually for chlamydia and gonorrhea is consistent with findings from previous provider surveys. Female providers and OB/GYNS were most likely to screen. Results might be biased by low response rates

Implications:
Provider adherence to screening recommendations can be improved by using the NYC Prevention Training Center to educate specialty groups through hospital grand rounds and local professional organizations..