ArticleBMC health services research2015
How online sexual health services could work; generating theory to support development.
Article in BMC health services research, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Web-Based Service Provision of HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention, Testing, Linkage, and Treatment for Key Populations: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- Perceptions and Experiences of Internet-Based Testing for Sexually Transmitted Infections: Systematic Review and Synthesis of Qualitative Research.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Pooled it
- Does internet-accessed STI (e-STI) testing increase testing uptake for chlamydia and other STIs among a young population who have never tested? Secondary analyses of data from a randomised controlled trial.Sexually transmitted infections · 2019Trial
- Internet-accessed sexually transmitted infection (e-STI) testing and results service: A randomised, single-blind, controlled trial.PLoS medicine · 2017Trial
- Complex role of digital health literacy in awareness and use of digital sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections testing: a structural equation modelling analysis of the 2022 GetCheckedOnline survey.Sexually transmitted infections · 2026Article
- Uptake, positivity, and equity of online postal self-sampling for chlamydia testing in England: a retrospective cohort study.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2025Article
- Enhancing self-care and access - The Dutch stepped care model to strategically organize public sexual health for young people.Health care transitions · 2024Article
- Introducing video consultations at public sexual health clinics in the Netherlands: a mixed-methods study.Health promotion international · 2022Article
- A cohort study of the service-users of online contraception.BMJ sexual & reproductive health · 2020Article
- "Putting people in charge of their own health and care?" Using meta-narrative review and the example of online sexual health services to re-think relationships between e-health and agency.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2019Review
- Online testing for sexually transmitted infections: A whole systems approach to predicting value.PloS one · 2019Article
- Web-Based Activity Within a Sexual Health Economy: Observational Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2018Observational
- Anticipating the potential for positive uptake and adaptation in the implementation of a publicly funded online STBBI testing service: a qualitative analysis.BMC health services research · 2018Article
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOnline sexual health services are an emerging area of service delivery. Theory of change critically analyses programmes by specifying planned inputs and articulating the causal pathways that link these to anticipated outcomes. It acknowledges the changing and contested nature of these relationships.
methodsWe developed two versions of a theory of change for an online sexual health service. The first articulated the theory presented in the original programme proposal and the second documented its development in the early stages of implementation through interviews with key programme stakeholders.
resultsThe programme proposal described an autonomous and empowered user completing a sexual health check using a more convenient, accessible and discreet online service and a shift from clinic based to online care. The stakeholder interviews confirmed this and described new and more complex patterns of service use as the online service creates opportunities for providers to contact users outside of the traditional clinic visit and users move between online and clinic based care. They described new types of user/provider relationships which we categorised as: those influenced by an online retail culture; those influenced by health promotion outreach and surveillance and those acknowledging the need for supported access.
conclusionsThis analysis of stakeholder views on the likely the impacts of online sexual health services suggests three areas for further thinking and research. 1. Co-development of clinic and online services to support complex patterns of service use. 2. Developing access to online services for those who could use them with support. 3. Understanding user experience of sexual health services as increasing user autonomy and choice in some situations; creating exclusion and a need for support in others and intrusiveness and a lack of control in still others. This work has influenced the evaluation of this programme which will focus on; mapping patterns of use to understand how users move between the online and clinic based services; barriers to use of online services among some populations and how to overcome these; understanding user perceptions of autonomy in relation to online services.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.