The number of cases of syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea increased from 2014 to 2015 in North Carolina. This prompted a multidisciplinary group in the UNC Infectious Diseases Clinic to introduce several interventions, including self-swabbing, to screen more patients for sexually transmitted diseases.
The ID Clinic inside the NC Memorial Hospital on Carolina’s campus is one of a few clinics in the state giving patients the option to screen themselves for chlamydia and gonorrhea. Self-swabbing is one of a handful of interventions created by a multidisciplinary quality improvement group including the clinic’s nurses, social workers, a certified medical assistant and a provider.
“Sex is normal and healthy,” says Ellen McAngus, LCSWA, a social work practitioner in the ID Clinic. “But we need to give our patients the right tools to protect themselves and their partners.”
UNC ID Clinic providers manage the care for 1,800 people living with HIV. In 2015, clinic nurse Anita Holt, RN, and Associate Clinic Director Amy Heine, FNP, noticed screening rates for syphilis in patients living with HIV were down, despite there being an increase in syphilis cases in North Carolina. In fact, the number of syphilis cases in the state increased by 64 percent between 2014 and 2015, according to the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
Through photos, an infographic and a video, learn more about the team’s progress in educating their patients about sexual health.