 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Mysheika LeMaile-Williams, MD, MPH and emily erbelding, MD, MPH. Eastern STD Clinic, Baltimore City Health Department- Division of Health promotion and Disease prevention, 620 N. Caroline Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, 410-396-9410, mysheika.lemaile-wms@baltimorecity.gov
Background: Patients seeking STD care are often at high risk for viral hepatitis, though full integration of viral hepatitis and traditional STD prevention services may prove challenging for STD clinics.
Methodology: In June 2002, Baltimore City Health Department STD Program integrated counseling and testing for viral hepatitis into the standard STD clinic visit. Six months after initiation of these services, we conducted a follow-up survey to clinic-based staff to assess existing barriers to effective prevention services for viral hepatitis. The survey was a 9-item questionnaire assessing knowledge of hepatitis risk factors and provider- or system-level barriers to optimal hepatitis prevention services.
Results: Thirteen clinicians and 8 disease intervention specialists (DIS) completed the survey. Clinician staff scored higher than did DIS on risk factors for viral hepatitis and expressed a higher level of confidence in their ability to perform counseling for viral hepatitis. Overall, clinic staff estimated that less than 25% of patients independently recognized hepatitis risk and sought viral hepatitis screening. Both clinician and DIS felt that lack of community-based treatment services for the uninsured, limited availability of hepatitis vaccinations for adults, and poor public awareness of viral hepatitis all represented significant barriers to implementing quality hepatitis services in the STD clinic setting.
Conclusions: STD clinic staff can effectively integrate hepatitis prevention services into traditional STD care. However, public awareness of hepatitis risk, as well as community availability of hepatitis vaccines treatment remain significant barriers to integration of optimal prevention services for viral hepatitis in the STD clinic setting.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.