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© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Improving access to sexual health services is critical in light of rising sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We evaluated a hub-and-spoke model for improving access to sexual health services in three general practices in Victoria, Australia. The primary outcome was the impact on HIV and STI (chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis) testing. Segmented linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the trends in the total HIV/STI tests pre- (from January 2019 to June 2020) and post-implementation (from July 2020 to July 2021). We evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of integrating this model into the general practices using semi-structured individual interviews. There was a statistically significant rise in testing for HIV and STIs in all general practices: post-implementation, there was an increase of an average of 11.2 chlamydia tests per month (p = 0.026), 10.5 gonorrhoea tests per month (p = 0.001), 4.3 syphilis tests per month (p = 0.010), and 5.6 HIV tests per month (p = 0.010). Participants reported increases in knowledge level and confidence in offering STI testing and managing a greater variety of sexual health cases. This study demonstrates the feasibility of implementing a hub-and-spoke model to enable GPs to deliver sexual health care with support from a sexual health specialist service.

Details

Title
Improving Access to Sexual Health Services in General Practice Using a Hub-and-Spoke Model: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation
Author
Ong, Jason J 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Fairley, Christopher K 1 ; Fortune, Ria 2 ; Bissessor, Melanie 2 ; Maloney, Chantal 2 ; Williams, Henrietta 2 ; Castro, Adrian 3 ; Castro, Lea 3 ; Wu, Jason 3 ; Pei Sue Lee 4 ; Chow, Eric P F 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Chen, Marcus Y 1 

 Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, Melbourne 3053, Australia; [email protected] (C.K.F.); [email protected] (R.F.); [email protected] (M.B.); [email protected] (C.M.); [email protected] (H.W.); [email protected] (E.P.F.C.); [email protected] (M.Y.C.); Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne 3004, Australia 
 Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, Melbourne 3053, Australia; [email protected] (C.K.F.); [email protected] (R.F.); [email protected] (M.B.); [email protected] (C.M.); [email protected] (H.W.); [email protected] (E.P.F.C.); [email protected] (M.Y.C.) 
 Kings Park Medical Centre Hillside, Hillside 3037, Australia; [email protected] (A.C.); [email protected] (L.C.); [email protected] (J.W.) 
 Tarneit Family Medical & Dental Centre, Tarneit 3029, Australia; [email protected] 
First page
3935
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
MDPI AG
ISSN
1661-7827
e-ISSN
1660-4601
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2649019776
Copyright
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.