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Sexually transmitted disease screening by United States obstetricians and gynecologists.
Obstetrics & Gynecology 2002;100(4):801-807.
Hogben M, St. Lawrence JS, Kasprzyk D, Montano DE, Counts GW,
McCree DH, Phillips W, Scharbo-DeHaan M.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess compliance with practice guidelines and to determine the
extent of missed opportunities for sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention
by describing screening practices of a national sample of obstetricians and
gynecologists and comparing them to the practices of other specialists. METHODS:
Physicians (n = 7300) in five specialties that diagnose 85% of STDs in the
United States were surveyed. Obstetrics and gynecology (n = 647) was one
of the five specialties. Besides providing demographic and practice characteristics,
respondents answered questions about who they screen (nonpregnant females,
pregnant females) and for which bacterial STDs (syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia).
RESULTS: Responding obstetricians and gynecologists were most likely to be
non-Hispanic white (75%), male (66%), and in their 40s (mode 43 years old).
They saw an average of 90 patients per week during 47 hours of direct patient
care. Approximately 95% practiced in private settings. Almost all (96%) screened
some patients for at least one STD. Obstetricians and gynecologists screened
women more frequently than other specialties, but no specialty screened all
women or all pregnant women. CONCLUSION: Obstetricians and gynecologists
screen women for STDs at a higher rate than other specialties represented
in this study. Consistent with published guidelines, most obstetricians and
gynecologists in our survey screened pregnant women for chlamydia, gonorrhea,
and syphilis. Nonetheless, only about half of obstetricians and gynecologists
screened nonpregnant women for gonorrhea or chlamydia, and fewer screen nonpregnant
women for syphilis.