Online testing for sexually transmitted infections: A whole systems approach to predicting value

PloS One
Katy M E TurnerPaula Baraitser

Abstract

Online testing for sexually transmitted infections has a lower unit cost than testing in clinical services and economic analysis has focused on the cost per test and cost per diagnosis in clinics and online. However, online services generate new demand for testing and shift activity between services, requiring system-level analysis to effectively predict cost-effectiveness. Routinely collected, anonymised, retrospective data on sexual health service activity from all specialist services (clinic and online) within an inner London sexual health economy were collated and harmonised to generate a complete dataset of individual level clinic attendances. Clinic activity and diagnoses were coded using nationally standardised codes assigned by clinicians. Costs were taken from locally or regionally agreed sexual health tariffs. The introduction of online services changed patterns of testing. In an inner London sexual health economy, online STI testing increased total number of tests, the total cost of testing and total diagnoses while slightly reducing the average cost per diagnosis. Two years after the introduction of online services 37% of tests in the were provided online and total diagnoses increased. The positivity of online servi...Continue Reading

References

Jan 26, 2005·Sexually Transmitted Diseases·Deb K LevineJeffrey D Klausner
Feb 15, 2008·Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology·Kenneth J SmithRoberta B Ness
Dec 8, 2015·BMC Health Services Research·Paula BaraitserGillian Holdsworth

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BETA
contraception

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Pathway Analytics

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