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Chlamydia screening in primary care decreases after updated Pap guidelines

Chlamydia testing in young women has significantly decreased following the 2009 cervical cancer screening guideline update from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, according to recently published data.

“With the change in screening, we wanted to see if there were other implications, and indeed a decrease in chlamydia screening occurred even though the number of visits by young women was about the same,” Allison Ursu, MD, department of family medicine, University of Michigan, said in a press release.

Ursu and colleagues analyzed data from a University of Michigan population database to evaluate whether the updated cervical cancer screening guidelines had an impact on the rate of chlamydia screenings. In total, 3,472 women aged 15 to 21 years, resulting in 9,852 visits, were included in the study.

Results demonstrated that women were much more likely to receive chlamydia screening prior to  the change in cervical cancer screening guidelines, compared with after the guidelines changes (OR = 13.97; 95% CI, 9.17-21.29). 

The researchers noted that pelvic exams and cervical cancer screenings are not the only times that chlamydia testing should be done, and practices should begin to “unlink” the two. They recommend research be done to find new occasions to maximize chlamydia screening in young women.

“Patients are very aware of Pap tests and many still think they need one yearly. There’s much less awareness of chlamydia screening. The takeaway from this study is that we have to find other opportunities to screen,” senior author Mack Ruffin, MD, MPH, department of family medicine, University of Michigan, said in a press release. – by Casey Hower

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.