The management of gonorrhea in an emergency room

This study reviews the experience with gonorrhea and "pelvic inflammatory disease" in an emergency room of a university hospital. In spite of the large volume of critically ill patients seen in the emergency room, proper diagnostic methods and appropriate treatment for gonococcal disease were used by these physicians in over 90% of the cases. However, performance of serologic tests for detection of latent syphilis and the reporting of the disease to the Health Department were often overlooked. Two other problems in the management of these diseases were identified. One was the discovery of a low yield of organisms by culture, and the other was the failure of most patients to return for followup. This study indicates that periodic retrospective analysis is a useful method of ascertaining the effectiveness of diagnosis and management of gonococcal infections in a setting not specifically oriented to venereal disease. This analysis indicates that better mechanisms can be instituted in treating these infections to assure high quality care.