Manchester pharmacies in chlamydia/EHC study
False-colour transmission electron micrograph of a human fallopian
tube infected with Chlamydia trachomatis (red spots) |
Young women asking for emergency contraception at about 30 pharmacies in the Greater Manchester Primary Care Trust area are to be offered chlamydia screening in a University of Manchester study.
They will be given a purple box containing a bottle for a urine sample
and a confidential questionnaire offering them a variety of ways they
can be sent the results. Postage is prepaid for the samples to be sent
for testing with results returned within three working days. Women who
test positive, and their partners, will be referred to a genitourinary
clinic for full sexual health screening and treatment. The process from
test to treatment is expected to be completed in two weeks.
The study, funded by the BUPA Foundation, is being carried out as a response
to the Department of Health drive for primary care trusts to offer chlamydia
screening to those under 25 years in non-genitourinary clinic settings
by April 2006. Starting from 3 January 2006, researchers hope to screen
2,000 women through pharmacies. Chlamydia screening will be offered to
a further 1,000 women asking for emergency contraception at family planning
clinics and 400 asking for it at the Manchester Brook Advisory Service.
Loretta Brabin, of the division of human development and reproduction
at the university’s medical school, who is leading the study said: “This
could identify and treat a potentially huge unknown population at risk
of untreated chlamydia. … The study will not add to the workload
of pharmacies because pharmacists are supposed to advise women asking
for emergency contraception about sexually transmitted infection. Now
they can give them a direct offer of help.”
The researchers will also gather information on the previous STI treatment
of clients attending various outlets for emergency hormaonal contraception,
and their risk of being infected. They will find out how many women going
to pharmacies take the test kit home and how many post it back and thus
they will discover whether this is an effective screening system.
Research nurse Grace Thomas, who is running the study, added: “Looking
at the number of young women going to pharmacies, there is huge potential
there for people at risk of STIs who are not tapping into the more traditional
health care services available.” |
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