Urine kits urge men to take chlamydia test
A total of 401 urine samples were submitted for analysis during
the trial |
Offering urine test kits and a streamlined process for accessing treatment are key factors in encouraging young men to be tested for chlamydia, according to the results
of a study published this week.
The two-phase project was led by the Men’s Health Forum and funded
by the Department of Health, the National Pharmaceutical Association
and Roche Diagnostics. The first phase was a qualitative attitudinal
study among men aged 18 to 25 years, and revealed that many believe that
chlamydia testing involves a painful swab “umbrella test”.
Although symptoms are seen in only 50 per cent of chlamydia cases, many
of the men questioned said they would only seek help if they experienced
symptoms.
The second phase was a chlamydia screening trial that targeted 4,000
young men in Telford, Shropshire. Six local employers provided free chlamydia
testing kits to their staff (PJ, 31 July 2004, p138) who, if infected,
were able to obtain antibiotics from participating pharmacies under a
patient group direction.
There were 401 samples submitted for analysis, with almost 10 per cent
of men in the target age range (under 30 years) in the six workplaces
choosing to take the test. In total, 3.4 per cent of men under 30 years
tested positive for chlamydia. The majority preferred to obtain treatment
from their pharmacy.
The full report is available here |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
Acrobat
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