Improving office-based physician's prevention practices for sexually transmitted diseases

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Medical Education
• Preventive Medicine

Background:

• Primary care physicians play a crucial role in preventing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV.
• Effective interventions are needed to enhance risk assessment and counseling practices in office-based settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of office-based interventions on primary care physicians' risk assessment and counseling for STDs and HIV.
• To compare the effectiveness of educational materials alone versus combined with simulated patient visits.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving office-based primary care physicians.
• Interventions included mailed educational materials, with or without a simulated patient instructor office visit.
• Outcomes were measured through self-reported data and blinded simulated patient evaluations.

Main Results:

• The combined intervention (materials + simulated visit) significantly increased physicians' review of educational materials compared to materials alone (89% vs 53%).
• Physicians receiving the combined intervention showed higher rates of risk assessment and counseling for STDs and HIV.
• A greater percentage of physicians in the combined group reported increased counseling on reducing risky sexual behavior (73% vs 53% vs 42%).

Conclusions:

• Mailed educational materials coupled with simulated patient instructor visits effectively enhance physicians' clinical performance in STD and HIV prevention counseling.
• This combined intervention strategy is a promising approach to improve primary care-based risk assessment and counseling for STDs and HIV.