Adequacy of testing, empiric treatment, and referral for adult male emergency department patients with possible chlamydia and/or gonorrhoea urethritis

Abstract

This study evaluated the adequacy of testing, empiric treatment and referral for further evaluation of adult male emergency department (ED) patients with possible chlamydia and/or gonorrhoea urethritis. Of 968 adult male ED patients, 84% were tested for chlamydia and gonorrhoea, 16% for HIV and 27% for syphilis; 92% received empiric treatment for chlamydia and gonorrhoea and 71% were referred for further evaluation; of those tested, 29% were infected with chlamydia, gonorrhoea or both; and 3% of those tested had a positive syphilis test. The results of logistic regression modelling indicated that testing, treatment and referral were not related to a history of sexual contact with someone known to have a sexually transmitted disease or to the patient's ultimate diagnosis of a laboratory-confirmed infection. Compliance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for chlamydia and gonorrhoea testing and treatment regimens was high, but was poor for HIV testing. More explicit guidance from CDC regarding syphilis testing and referral for further evaluation is needed.