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Background: Several past studies have shown that women who come to a clinic for a “Pregnancy Test Only” (PTO) visit have higher positivity than other visit types, with documented positivity that range between 4 and 13%. In response to these data, the project areas within Region I started to collect data on Chlamydia positivity among PTO visits in January 2011.
Objectives: The objective of the Region I Advisory Board was to measure Chlamydia positivity rates among PTO visits to determine if Chlamydia positivity among PTO visits was higher than among non-PTO visits.
Methods: The Region I IPP Advisory Board (AB) added PTO visit as a response option to “Reason for Visit” to its IPP lab slip, effective January 2011. Data from January-September 2011 were analyzed using SAS. Data were limited to Family Planning clinic site type and women 24 and younger, according to state IPP screening guidelines.
Results: Chlamydia positivity among PTO visits varied by state and was only higher than non-PTO visits in two of the six states. In Family Planning clinics, among women 24 and younger, Chlamydia positivity among PTO visits were compared to non-PTO visit positivity in the same population. The positivity rates were found to be 9.52 (PTO) and 5.86 (Non-PTO) in Maine, 7.65 and 5.00 in New Hampshire, 4.44 and 9.27 in Rhode Island, 3.85 and 4.19 in Connecticut, 2.76 and 6.27 in Massachusetts, and 2.30 and 3.54 in Vermont.
Conclusions: Chlamydia positivity among PTO visits was not universally higher than non-PTO visit Chlamydia positivity.
Implications for Programs, Policy, and Research: Further analysis, including data validation, should be conducted to determine why Chlamydia positivity among PTO visits was not higher than non-PTO visits as expected.