NACCHO, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of STD Prevention (DSTDP), is pleased to provide funding for the Piloting Self-Specimen Collection Outside Of Clinical Settings Using A Telemedicine Model For Testing For Gonorrhea & Chlamydia project.

The goal of this project is to provide 1-2 LHDs with funding to design, pilot, and evaluate implementation of a telemedicine model that offers patients the option to self-collect gonorrhea and chlamydia specimens outside of the clinic setting (e.g., at home) and mail-in the specimens to a public health laboratory for nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT). This is a program improvement and evaluation effort to identify replicable models and best practices for patient self-collection of specimens outside of clinic settings and testing of specimens for patients recommended by the USPSTF or CDC treatment guidelines. Funded sites could receive up to $300,000.

Objectives

The objectives of this project are to:

• Design and pilot a telemedicine model to offer asymptomatic patients the option to self-collect gonorrhea and chlamydia specimens outside of clinic settings.
• Assess the feasibility of patient self-collection of specimens outside of clinic settings for C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae testing, including kit orders, kit return rate, GC/CT positivity, and characteristics of patients tested and treated.
• Collaborate with local or state public health laboratory to establish necessary workflows and support testing and delivery of results. Assess timing of testing turnaround from specimen postage date to test result returned to telehealth provider and patient to evaluate timeliness of testing and case detection.
• Assess the timeliness of treatment from date the telehealth provider receives the positive result and the patient is treated.
• Assess percent of persons tested who meet the USPSTF and CDC screening recommendations.
• Assess patient satisfaction with the approach, including motives for accepting and/or refusing self-collection option.
• Assess willingness to participate again and/ or assess acceptability and return rates for second testing orders at 3 months for those treated for CT/GC and PrEP users, as recommended by CDC.

Interested?

View the Request for Applications for full details about this project. The deadline to submit applications is November 25, 2020 by 11:59 PM Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). For questions or additional information email [email protected].