Unanswered Questions about Genital Herpes

Background:
Genital Herpes (GH) is a very common and often confusing sexually transmitted infection. Yet, studies that assess the questions and concerns of those newly diagnosed or living with genital herpes are rare.

Objective:
Analyze GH chat room transcripts to identify common questions and concerns about genital herpes to inform and craft prepared responses.

Method:
The American Social Health Association (ASHA) provided a live, GH chat room, moderated by trained and experienced healthcare specialists, from Fall 2001 to Spring 2006. Using standard procedures, GH chat room transcripts from January 2004 through March 2006 were content analyzed. Using NVIVOŽ software, common themes from visitors' questions and concerns were developed and transcripts were double coded and quantified. From these common concerns, prepared responses were developed.

Result:
Thirteen general and 66 specific themes were identified; 665 passages were coded. The most frequent general question themes were transmission (n=222), natural history (n=105), treatment (n=92), diagnosis (n=60), rates (n=25) and acquisition (n=24). The most frequent specific question themes were miscellaneous treatment issues, such as dosage questions (n=47), transmission type 1 vs. type 2 (n=38), transmission without symptoms (n=37), transmission risks from exposure (n=32), blood tests (n=20) and pregnancy issues (n=20).

Conclusion:
Analysis of GH chat room transcripts identified common question themes. These themes aided in the development of tailored responses that health care providers might use to address questions posed by those newly diagnosed or living with GH.

Implications:
Developing messages that target patients' frequently asked questions and concerns increases patients' knowledge, debunks myths and misconceptions, bolsters patient-doctor relationships, and allows patients to make informed decisions regarding their health and risk reduction strategies. More research is needed to assess the impact and outcome of these developed messages and find distribution avenues for messages to reach health care providers.