Addressing STIs: Ask. Test. Treat. Repeat.

SPNS Sexually Transmitted Infections Initiative

Project Goals and Resources

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States are steadily on the rise. According to the CDC's surveillance, 2.4 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were reported in 2020. STIs can spread among people who are asymptomatic, cause serious, long-term health problems if left untreated, and increase the likelihood of HIV acquisition and transmission. However, Health Resources and Services Administration's HIV/AIDS Bureau and Bureau of Primary Health Care grant recipients are uniquely positioned to intervene, by using tools and resources from a new awareness campaign encouraging STI care interventions and helping providers and clients alike feel enabled.

About the Campaign

Addressing STIs: Ask. Test. Treat. Repeat. is based on four evidence-based interventions tested during Rutgers School of Nursing’s multi-year evaluative study by nine clinic teams across three jurisdictions. The interventions focused on a self-administered sexual history, self-collected chlamydia/gonorrhea nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) specimens, LGBTQ+ welcoming clinic space indicators and provider training. Together these enabled providers to improve routine screening, testing, and treatment of common bacterial STIs among people with HIV or people vulnerable to HIV acquisition.

Check out the tools and resources below to learn how to implement them in your clinic.

Starter Toolkit

These tools are to help agencies improve routine STI screening and treatment among people with HIV and people who are vulnerable to HIV acquisition. Browse for specific components below, or download the entire toolkit (32MB ZIP)

The overview, fact sheets, and infographic provide detailed information on the implementation of evidence-based interventions to improve routine screening, testing, and treatment of common bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

This comprehensive sexual history template was created for use by clinicians to assess potential health risks associated with an individual’s sexual history and behavior. This template includes questions that are recommended at the initial patient visit for baseline, and some that should be asked at the initial visit as well as at follow-up visits for routine screening and testing of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Users are free to modify the template for their own settings.

Comprehensive Survey for Intake 
English (MS Word)

The interval survey is a template for clinicians to assess potential STI risks associated with an individual’s sexual history and behavior. Included are questions recommended at each patient visit after the initial visit (when the more comprehensive sexual history is completed) for routine screening and testing of bacterial STIs.

Interval Survey
English (MS Word) | Spanish (MS Word)

Providers should give patients the self-collection instructions/visual guides to take into the restroom. Make sure each CT/GC NAAT kit vial is labeled with the correct site of collection (pharyngeal, rectal and vaginal) and that the patient knows which swab goes into which vial.

Follow these workflows to improve STI screening and diagnosis, management and prevention of syphilis.

Hang these signs in your clinic to show clients that it is a safe space and welcoming for all.

Components

  • The Addressing STIs: Ask, Test, Treat, Repeat. intervention seeks to address the rising rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States over the past several years.

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