Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30161111›Full record

ArticleThe New Zealand medical journal2018

Healthcare-seeking behaviour of people with sexually transmitted infection symptoms attending a Sexual Health Clinic in New Zealand.

Hayley J Denison, Lisa Woods, Collette Bromhead, Jane Kennedy, Rebecca Grainger, Annemarie Jutel, Elaine M Dennison

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The New Zealand medical journal, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Experience of Sexual Healthcare by Māori and Non-Māori Young People: An Online Survey of 15-24 Year Olds in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.International journal of sexual health : official journal of the World Association for Sexual Health · 2022
    Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Hayley J DenisonResearch Fellow, Centre for Public Health Research, Massey University, Wellington; Doctoral Candidate, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University, Wellington.
Lisa WoodsStatistical Consultant, School of Mathematics and Statistics, Victoria University, Wellington.
Collette BromheadSenior Lecturer, College of Health, Massey University, Wellington.
Jane KennedySexual Health Physician, Wellington Sexual Health Service, Wellington.
Rebecca GraingerSenior Lecturer, Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Wellington.
Annemarie JutelProfessor, Graduate School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, Faculty of Health, Victoria University, Wellington.
Elaine M DennisonProfessor, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University, Wellington; Professor, MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom.

Funding

Medical Research Council MC_U147574212Medical Research Council MC_U147574234Medical Research Council MC_U147574237Medical Research Council MC_U147585819Medical Research Council MC_UP_A620_1015Medical Research Council MC_UU_12011/2
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsUntreated sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can lead to serious health complications and may be transmitted to uninfected individuals. Therefore, the early detection and subsequent management of STIs is crucial to control efforts. Time to presentation for STI symptoms and risk of transmission in this period has not been assessed in New Zealand to date.

methodsAll new clients presenting to an urban sexual health clinic (SHC) were invited to complete a questionnaire, which included demographic information, sexual health history, and details about the clinic visit.

resultsOf 331 people approached, 243 (73.4%) agreed to complete the questionnaire. Four incomplete questionnaires were excluded, leaving 239 participants (47.3% female and 52.7% male, 43.8% under the age of 25). The most common reason for seeking healthcare was experiencing symptoms (39.4%) and 41.7% of people with symptoms waited more than seven days to seek healthcare. Around a third (30.6%) of people with symptoms had sex after they first thought they may need to seek healthcare. Infrequent condom use was reported more often by people who had sex with existing partners (84.6%) than by people who had sex with new partners (10.0%).

conclusionsThis is the first study to quantify healthcare-seeking behaviour for STI in New Zealand. Delayed healthcare-seeking (defined as waiting more than seven days) was common and almost a third of people reported engaging in sex while symptomatic. Enabling prompt healthcare-seeking is crucial to minimise transmission risk. Structural barriers such as the financial cost of STI tests must be removed and education around symptom recognition and healthcare system navigation should be provided.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAgedAmbulatory CareFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNew ZealandPatient Acceptance of Health CareSex DistributionSexual BehaviorSexual HealthSexually Transmitted DiseasesSexual PartnersTime-to-Treatment

Identifiers

PMID30161111
PMCPMC6231543

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.