{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,21]],"date-time":"2025-02-21T10:31:23Z","timestamp":1740133883227,"version":"3.37.3"},"reference-count":8,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"6","content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Sex Transm Infect"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2024,5,28]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>A number of females with pelvic inflammatory disease will present to general surgical services with non-specific abdominal pain. Screening for sexually transmitted infections (STI) as an underlying cause is not routinely offered. We therefore established an STI screening programme for young females presenting to a same day emergency ambulatory surgical clinic as part of the diagnostic pathway. Data outlining the incidence and prevalence of STIs as the underlying cause of lower abdominal pain were collected.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>We conducted an observational cohort study. Self-collected vulvovaginal swabs for chlamydia and gonorrhoea were offered as part of a standardised diagnostic pathway for all females meeting inclusion criteria presenting with abdominal pain. Positive results were referred to our local sexual health team for treatment and contact tracing.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>The cohort comprised 297 eligible patients; 259 participated, 20 patients declined testing and 18 samples were rejected as inadequate in the laboratory. 5.4% of swab results were positive (2 gonorrhoea and 12 chlamydia). All patients with positive swabs had presented with lower abdominal pain and of these only 21% had a documented sexual history.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Undiagnosed STIs are prevalent, with significant fertility and public health risks. Young females seeking medical assessment for abdominal pain provide an opportunistic screening cohort with a likely subset of patients presenting with abdominal pain as a direct result of an STI. Our results demonstrate a high incidence of positive tests, suggesting further training of surgeons to include a sexual history in assessment of females with abdominal pain is vital.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/sextrans-2023-056024","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,27]],"date-time":"2024-06-27T17:39:41Z","timestamp":1719509981000},"page":"381-383","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Embedding a novel screening programme for sexually transmitted infections (chlamydia and gonorrhoea) within an ambulatory emergency surgical assessment unit: an observational cohort study"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"100","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6885-0744","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Divolka","family":"Ganesh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ciara","family":"Mahon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sian","family":"Jones","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Helen","family":"Please","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michael","family":"Hughes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Adam","family":"Peckham-Cooper","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"2024081910400989000_100.6.381.1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMra1411426"},{"key":"2024081910400989000_100.6.381.2","unstructured":"GOV.UK . Sexually transmitted infections and screening for chlamydia in England: 2022 report, Available: https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/statistics\/sexually-transmitted-infections-stis-annual-data-tables\/sexually-transmitted-infections-and-screening-for-chlamydia-in-england-2022-report"},{"key":"2024081910400989000_100.6.381.3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"314","DOI":"10.1046\/j.1365-2524.2003.00437.x","article-title":"Opportunistic screening for Chlamydia in general practice: the experience of health professionals","volume":"11","author":"Perkins","year":"2003","journal-title":"Health & Social Care in the Community"},{"key":"2024081910400989000_100.6.381.4","unstructured":"Jennings LK , Krywko DM , Nih.gov . StatPearls Publishing; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), 2022. Available: https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK499959\/"},{"key":"2024081910400989000_100.6.381.5","first-page":"456","article-title":"Lower genital tract infection and Endometritis: insight into Subclinical pelvic inflammatory disease","volume":"Available from","author":"Wiesenfeld","year":"2002","journal-title":"Obstetrics & Gynecology [Internet]"},{"key":"2024081910400989000_100.6.381.6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare4020025","article-title":"Perceptions of self-testing for Chlamydia: understanding and predicting self-test use","volume":"4","author":"Powell","year":"2016","journal-title":"Healthcare (Basel)"},{"key":"2024081910400989000_100.6.381.7","unstructured":"bashh.org . Standards for the Management of STIs, 21 September 2023. Available: https:\/\/bashh.org\/about-bashh\/publications\/standards-for-the-management-of-stis?"},{"key":"2024081910400989000_100.6.381.8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/ciz429"}],"container-title":["Sexually Transmitted Infections"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.1136\/sextrans-2023-056024","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,19]],"date-time":"2024-08-19T17:41:06Z","timestamp":1724089266000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/sti.bmj.com\/lookup\/doi\/10.1136\/sextrans-2023-056024"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,27]]},"references-count":8,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,8,19]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,9]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1136\/sextrans-2023-056024"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/sextrans-2023-056024","relation":{},"ISSN":["1368-4973","1472-3263"],"issn-type":[{"type":"print","value":"1368-4973"},{"type":"electronic","value":"1472-3263"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,27]]}}}