Chlamydia Screening: The Process Matters

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 14 Sep 2008 - 7:00 PDT

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Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common curable sexually transmitted disease.

Control of prevalence is dependant on having a screening strategy that is both acceptable to the population and cost-effective. Evidence to date has suggested that population-based Chlamydia screening is not cost-effective. However, these studies have only considered health outcomes and not the whole screening experience.

A recent study "Valuing experience factors in the provision of Chlamydia screening: an application to women attending the family planning clinic," published in Value in Health investigates how characteristics of the screening experience, such as the type of test, location, and support available, influence women's choice of screening test. The study was co-authored by Verity Watson and Mandy Ryan of the Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen and Emma Watson of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust.

Up to three quarters of women and half of men with this infection have no symptoms. If undetected Chlamydia can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease in women and can affect male and female fertility.

Says Dr. Watson "We find there is value in the screening process (type of test, location, and support), and there is a general value in screening which may reflect the value of information. Failure to take account of factors, referred to here as experience factors, could result in misleading recommendations regarding the cost-effectiveness of Chlamydia screening."

Value in Health (ISSN 1098-3015) publishes papers, concepts, and ideas that advance the field of pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research and help health care leaders to make decisions that are solidly evidence-based. The journal is published bi-monthly and has a regular readership of over 3,000 clinicians, decision-makers, and researchers worldwide.

ISPOR is a nonprofit, international organization that strives to translate pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research into practice to ensure that society allocates scarce health care resources wisely, fairly, and efficiently.

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