Impact of Point-of-Care Testing on the Management of Sexually Transmitted Infections in South Africa: Evidence from the HVTN702 Human Immunodeficiency Virus Vaccine Trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Alternative approaches to syndromic management are needed to reduce rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in resource-limited settings. We investigated the impact of point-of-care (POC) versus central laboratory-based testing on STI treatment initiation and STI adverse event (STI-AE) reporting.

Methods

We used Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models to compare times to treatment initiation and STI-AE reporting among HVTN702 trial participants in South Africa. Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) were diagnosed POC at eThekwini clinic and in a central laboratory at Verulam/Isipingo clinics. All clinics used POC assays for Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) testing.

Results

Among 959 women (median age, 23 [interquartile range, 21-26] yea

SUBMITTER: Asare K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7614294 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature