STOP THE SPREAD: SCREEN STI
The Stop the Spread: Screen STI Program is a comprehensive educational and QI program with the goals of improving sexual health communication and sexual risk assessment, and universal screening for STIs among female adolescents and young women, ages 15–24 years. Awareness and Education Campaign – The statewide awareness and education campaign provides comprehensive training for pediatric providers on STI epidemiology, sexual health assessment, and the need for improved screening through multiple educational strategies. Project ECHO® QI Program–The program follows the Project ECHO® model for Quality Improvement. This model utilizes virtual technology to incorporate education, QI methodologies and best practices to aid in sexual health assessment, communication with parents and adolescents/young adults, and STI screening. Up to 25 pediatric practices are aiming to improve assessment of STI risk and increase universal STI testing for female patients 15-24 years of age, regardless of reported sexual activity to the following: Thirteen pediatric practices worked to improve assessment of STI risk and increase universal STI testing for female patients 15-24 years of age, regardless of reported sexual activity.
The increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the lack of recommended screening is a rising problem among adolescents and young adults.
- Nearly 2.3 million cases of Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were diagnosed in the US in 2017. More than 1.7 million cases were Chlamydia, with 45% among 15– to 24-year-old females, marking the fourth consecutive year of sharp increases (CDC, 2018).
- In New Jersey, 6,842 Chlamydia cases (42%) were from ages 15-19 in 2017 (NJ Sexually Transmitted Disease Data: 2012-2017).
- Up to 50% of new cases were diagnosed in individuals ages 15-24 with the vast majority not being tested in the past year (American Sexual Health Association, 2018).
Stop the Spread: Screen STI is a collaborative project with Hologic, NJ Department of Health, and NJAAP designed to meet these identified needs.