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Clinicians: Cell phone numbers key to getting STI test results to adolescents
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Obtaining cell phone numbers for adolescent girls who have been tested for sexually transmitted infections may be an easy way to prompt them to get their test results and treatment, according to a study published online.
Jill S. Huppert, MD, MPH, of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and colleagues noted that girls in this age group often give incorrect phone numbers, or they avoid giving their house number because they fear that someone else in their household may pick up the phone.
Taking this into consideration, Huppert and colleagues designed a two-part intervention, which employed the use of an electronic medical record reminder to get a cell phone number, and a second intervention that employed the use of a “patient activation card,” which prompted the girls to dial in for test results.
Huppert and colleagues reported that the first phase of the intervention boosted the number of records with a “confidential number,” mostly cell phones, from 24% to 58%. This led to an increase in the number of girls contacted pre intervention as well, from 45% to 65%. The intervention also focused on having one nurse practitioner as the girls’ contact, and a cell phone number where that nurse could be contacted at any point.
“In replication 2, when 41% of records had a confidential number, the interaction between the factors seemed stronger. The patient card significantly increased contact within 7 days and had a synergistic effect with the [nurse practitioner] cell phone,” the researchers wrote.
Huppert and colleagues concluded that because inadequate follow-up of adolescent girls with STIs could lead to spread of disease, system-wide interventions are needed
Disclosure: Dr. Huppert reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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