The National PID Picture

PID is the most immediate adverse outcome of gonorrhea/chlamydia infection.  However, trends in PID diagnoses, based on clinical impression, are difficult to ascertain.  At the national level, data for monitoring PID trends are routinely obtained from complex sample surveys, a health services survey, and a survey of hospital admissions.  While each of these data sources has limitations, all suggest a downward trend in PID diagnoses.  A recent analysis of a national insurance claims database also revealed decreases.  In an effort to improve methodology used to identify PID cases and explore alternative data sources, a PID case-finding algorithm is being developed.