416. Improvement in Syphilis and HIV Screening Rates at a Community-Based Emergency Department in Columbus, Ohio: Six Month Post-Intervention Analysis

Abstract

Background Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) disproportionally affect individuals living in underserved areas and Emergency Departments (ED) can play a major role in STI screening. Given the overlapping risk factors for STIs, patients screened for gonorrhea and chlamydia should also be screened for syphilis and HIV. Rates of syphilis/HIV screening in the ED are very low and barriers include lack of knowledge about the risk/prevalence, difficulty with results interpretation, and concerns about follow-up. Methods The main study objective was to improve rates of syphilis/HIV screening in a community-based ED in Columbus, OH. A team of clinical providers, case managers, and social workers was formed to address barriers to screening. Using root cause analysis and data feedback, a multistep intervention that included provider education along with expert review of syphilis/HIV results was implemented to ensure proper screening, treatment and rapid linkage to care. Syphilis/HIV screening rates in the ED were compared between two periods: 2012–2017 (pre-intervention) and November 2018–April 2019 (post-intervention). Results Between 2012 and 2017, there were 24,427 ED encounters where any STI test was ordered. There were 23,652 (97%) tests for chlamydia, 23,637 (97%) for gonorrhea, 254 (1%) for syphilis, and 466 (2%) for HIV. Twenty-four (0.1%) encounters had screening that included all four tests. Six months after starting the intervention, there were 1,590 encounters where any STI test was ordered. There were 1,444 (91%) tests for chlamydia, 1,446 (91%) for gonorrhea, 493 (31%) for syphilis and 591 (37%) for HIV. Four hundred thirty-eight (28%) of encounters had screening that included all four tests. Conclusion Collaborative and practical interventions aimed at improving syphilis/HIV testing have resulted in dramatic increases in syphilis, HIV, and comprehensive STI screening (31-, 19-, 280-fold, respectively) over a relatively short post-intervention period. Additional steps are planned with the goal to further increase screening rates and improve linkage to prevention and treatment programs. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.