Choosing the Emergency Department as an Alternative for STD Care: Potential Disparities in Access

This analysis was designed to determine if there existed differences by race in seeking sexually transmitted disease (STD) care in an emergency department (ED).

Data were collected from 4,138 patients attending 26 STD clinics across the United States (U.S.). The questionnaire asked where the patient would have sought care if the STD clinic had not been available that day. Responses were stratified by race and differences were tested for statistical significance.

Black/African American patients chose hospital emergency room as an alternative for STD clinic care at a rate approximately 2.5 times that of White patients (15.5% v. 5.8%, p < .05). This difference persisted among Black/African American patients after controlling for demographic variables (adjusted OR 2.91; 2.21-3.82 95% CI).

Receiving appropriate care is key to stemming the increases in sexually transmitted infections in the U.S. These findings suggest that disparities in access to STD care exist for Black/African American people.