Free online chlamydia and gonorrhoea urine test request in Queensland, Australia: convenience of home sample collection versus pathology collection centre attendance for faster results
Anita Groos
A E , Shelley Peardon-Freeman B , Kim McFarlane B , Simone Braithwaite C , Deepa Gajjar D , Pamela Murch A and Catherine Spucches A
A Communicable Diseases Branch, Queensland Department of Health, 15 Butterfield Street, Herston, Qld 4006, Australia.
B Health Contact Centre, Health Support Queensland, GPO Box 48, Brisbane, Qld 4001, Australia.
C Preventive Health Branch, Queensland Department of Health, 15 Butterfield Street, Herston, Qld 4006, Australia.
D Health Service Strategy and Planning, Metro North Hospital and Health Services, Level 14, Block 7, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Qld 4029, Australia.
E Corresponding author. Email: anita.groos@health.qld.gov.au
Sexual Health 18(3) 254-259 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH21029
Submitted: 3 February 2021 Accepted: 9 April 2021 Published: 21 June 2021
Abstract
Background: A free online chlamydia and gonorrhoea urine testing service (Webtest) is available for people living in Queensland, Australia. There are two options to provide a urine sample: at a pathology collection centre or by using a home mailing kit. The study aimed to trial these two testing options designed for young people and describe which is the preferred testing choice. Methods: Data for online requests made from 3 August 2017 to 31 December 2019 provides information for age, gender, location of clients, results received, treatment and partner notification reported by people with positive results. Results: For 29 months, there were 4642 Webtest requests and 2906 valid results received. For young people (16–29 years), chlamydia positivity was 8.2% (172/2105; 95% CI, 7.1–9.4) versus 3.2% (26/801; 95% CI, 2.2–4.7) for people aged ≥30 years, and 6.8% (198/2906; 95% CI, 6.0–7.8) for all ages. Home mailing kits were the most popular testing choice, with 68.0% (1977/2906) of results received from urine submitted by post and 32.0% (929/2906) via pathology collection centre. Conclusions: The free online test request service engaged young people at risk of sexually transmissible infections and found home sample collection was most popular.
Keywords: youth, health services, program evaluation, chlamydia, gonorrhoea, sexually transmissible infections, online testing, home mailing kits.
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