Mattie Peckenham, BA, RN¹, Mary Scheib, MSN, FNP¹, Rebecca Jackson, MD¹, Deborah Cohan, MD MPH², Melinda Lawton, MPA³, Sharon Kimball, RN NP¹, and Charla W. Ekstrand, MS, MPA⁴. (1) Women's Health Center, San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco Public Health Deparment, 1001 Potrero Avenue, 5M, San Francisco, CA 94110, 415-206-5483, mattie.peckenham@sfdph.org, (2) Bay Area Perinatal AIDS Center, University of Caliornia San Francisco, San Francisco General Hospital, 1001 Potrero Ave., Ward 6D-22, San Francisco, CA 94110, (3) Quality Management Department, San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco Public Health Department, 1001 Potrero Ave., Building 20, Room 2300, San Francisco, CA 94110, (4) Community Health Network, San Francisco Public Health Department, 3507 Laguna Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306-2652

A women's health center clinic in a large, urban, public hospital developed a quality improvement (QI) model for sexually transmitted disease (STD) follow-up and treatment. The target population was composed of high risk, low income, underserved, multicultural, and monolingual women who had been diagnosed with gohorrhea or chlamydia. Prior to implementing the model, initial chart reviews revealed low rates of partner-delivered therapy (PDT), low levels of screening for HIV and syphilis, and absence of immunization for hepatitis B. Based on these findings, an interdisciplinary team developed a quality improvement plan. It included protocols and procedures for partner delivered therapy and hepatitis B immunization, an STD follow-up form incorporating standards of care, and a confidential online documentation system. Clinic providers and staff were trained in the quality improvement plan. A follow-up chart review one year after implementation of the plan revealed a 34% increase in PDT. In addition, the review identified areas needing improvement, which became the focus for the following year. This presentation will describe steps taken to develop and implement an ongoing QI plan for STD follow-up and treatment within a public-hospital-based women's health center. The session will provide detailed information on how other agencies may replicate this model.

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