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Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Exhibit Hall
Background:
Little information exists regarding what patients want for STD POCT, although clinicians have expressed their opinions.Therefore, we conducted a survey among women attending several adolescent health and STD outpatient clinics in order to determine end users’ perceptions and needs regarding their ideal POCT for STDs.Methods:
Women attending the Baltimore City Health Department STD and Family Planning Clinics were asked to participate in a survey to gain opinions on future POCT on the day of visit to clinics. Questionnaires were given to women before they left the clinics after their initial visits with clinicians and included: preferences for the sample types they would choose, wait times to results, location of rescreening sites, ease of collection of vaginal swabs, and willingness-to-pay for POCT, if they were available over-the-counter (OTC).Results:
Of the 371 women participating, preferences for specimen type collection included: cervical, 57 (15.4%); vaginal, 189 (50.9%); urine, 125 (33.7%). For wait time for results and possible treatment before leaving the clinic: 20 minutes, 219 (59.0%); 40 minutes, 77 (20.8%); 60 minutes, 40 (10.8%); 90 minutes, 35 (9.4%). For preference for rescreening site: home collection, 172 (46.4%); clinic collection, 176 (47.4%); private doctor, 23 (6.2%). For rating previous experience of self-collection of a vaginal swab: very easy, 230 (62.0%); easy, 125 (33.7%); Ok, 15 (4.0%); hard, 0 (0%); very hard 1 (0.3%). For willingness-to-pay if POC tests were available OTC: $10.00, 173 (46.6%); $20.00, 115 (31.0%); $30.00, 40 (10.8%); $40.00, 10 (2.7%); $50.00, 33 (8.9%).Conclusions:
Self-collected vaginal specimens were the preferred and easiest specimen choice for POCT. Most women preferred to only wait 20-40 minutes for their results. Women were evenly divided as to home or clinic for rescreening site and most were willing to pay only $10-20 for a POCT if one were available OTC.