Consulting patterns after a television programme on sexually transmitted diseases

The effect on the work load in one of two clinics featured in a television programme devoted to the sexually transmitted diseases was monitored. The patients' source of referral was recorded before and after the programme and the number of telephone inquiries noted during the same periods. For the two weeks after the programme 18% of the male patients and 13% of the female patients attending the clinic came as a result of watching it. A sexually transmitted disease was diagnosed in 30% and 22% of those men and women respectively. This proportion of positive diagnoses was lower than for other sources of referral. The mean number of telephone inquiries rose by 56% after the programme.