CONCLUSION

The STI National Strategic Plan was developed in response to a recent precipitous rise in STIs and focuses on the four STIs that most significantly affect the health of Americans: syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and HPV. The National Strategic Plan provides goals and interventions to prevent STIs and successfully treat individuals with STIs and STDs to avoid the long-term health consequences of untreated or inadequately treated STIs/STDs. The Nation Strategic plan recognizes that some populations are more adversely affected by STIs, such as adolescents and young adults, men who have sex with men, pregnant women, and certain racial and ethnic minorities.

Patients at risk for STIs or with asymptomatic or symptomatic STDs may be encountered by clinicians in all healthcare settings. This is especially true since rates of certain STDs have reached epidemic levels. STIs can occur in any individual, regardless of their age, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, or socioeconomic status. So, clinicians must be alert to the possibility of a patient presenting with an STI during a routine health visit or while being seen for another health-related concern.

Clinicians in all healthcare settings must be able to perform a sexual history screening and test for STIs, recognize signs and symptoms of STIs, provide treatment, administer HPV vaccination to those who qualify, and educate about preventing exposure to and transmission of STIs. Education should be individualized and may include the consistent use of barrier protection, pre-exposure vaccinations, and being in a monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested for STIs. Referral to a specialized STD clinic should be made if a healthcare setting is not able to perform these functions or provide for EPT. STD clinics may have specialized DIS staff to assist with partner services.

The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the challenges of educating, screening for, and treating STIs and STDs. With the onset of the pandemic, resources for detection and treatment of STIs were diverted to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

REFERENCES

NOTE: Complete URLs for references retrieved from online sources are provided in the PDF of this course.

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). (2018). Humanpapilloma virus (HPV). Retrieved from http://www.immunize.org

Barrow RY, Ahmed F, Bolan GA, & Workowski KA. (2020). Recommendations for providing quality sexually transmitted diseases clinical services. MMWR, 68(5), 1–19. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021a). HPV infection. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021b). Adolescents and young adults. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021c). Sexually transmitted infections treatment guidelines, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021d). Chlamydia statistics. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021e). Chlamydia—CDC fact sheet (detailed version). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021f). Which STD tests should I get? Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021g). Condoms and STDs: fact sheet for public health personnel. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021h). Gonorrhea—CDC fact sheet (detailed version). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021i). Screening recommendations and considerations referenced in treatment guidelines and original sources. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021j). Gonococcal infections among adolescents and adults. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021k). Syphilis—CDC fact sheet (detailed version). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021l). CDC estimates 1 in 5 people in the U.S. have a sexually transmitted infection. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021m). Human papillomavirus (HPV): HPV fact sheet. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021n). Sexually transmitted infections treatment guidelines, 2021: HPV-associated cancers and precancers. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021o). Sexually transmitted diseases: expedited partner therapy: an important STD prevention tool. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021p). Condoms and STDs. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021q). Trends in STD case reports during the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic, January–December 2020. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021r). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender health: transgender persons. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021s). National overview of STDs, 2019. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021t). Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs): STDs & infertility. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021u). Sexually transmitted infections treatment guidelines, 2021: MSM. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2021v). Gonorrhea: antibiotic resistance. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2020a). STD testing: information for parents of adolescents. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2020b). Adolescent connectedness. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2020c). Vaccines and preventable diseases: paying for HPV vaccine. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2020d). Sexually transmitted diseases: partner services. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2020e). Adolescent and school health. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2019). Adolescent and school health: Substance use and sexual risk behaviors among youth. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov

Fakile Y, Brinson M, Mobley V, et al. (2019). Performance of the syphilis health check in clinic and laboratory-based settings. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 46(4), 250–3.

Fan SR, Wang AL, & Wang LH. (2019). Elimination of mother-to-child transmission of syphilis: challenge and solution. Maternal-Fetal Medicine, 1(2), 95–104.

Harding MM, Kwong J, Roberts D, Hagler D, & Reinisch C. (2020). Lewis’s medical-surgical nursing: assessment and management of clinical problems (11th edition). St. Louis: Elsevier.

Jamison CD & Chang T. (2021). COVID-19 has made it harder to slow the rise in sexually transmitted infections. Expedited partner therapy can help. Health Affairs Blog. Retrieved from https://www.healthaffairs.org

Mayo Clinic. (2021a). Sexually transmitted diseases. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org

Mayo Clinic. (2021b). HPV infection. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org

Meites E, Szilagyi PG, Chesson HW, et al. (2019). Human papillomavirus vaccinations for adults: updated recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. MMWR, 68(32), 698–702.

Nagendra G, Carnevale C, Neu N, Cohall A, & Zucker J. (2020). The potential impact and availability of sexual health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 47(7), 434–6.

Napoleon SC, Maynard MA, Almonte A, et al. (2020). Considerations for STI clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 47(7), 431–3.

National Cancer Institute (NCI). (2021). HPV and cancer. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.gov

National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD). (2020). COVID-19 & the state of the STD field. Retrieved from https://www.ncsddc.org

National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD) and NASTAD. (2020). Sex and Covid-19: FAQs. Retrieved from https://npin.cdc.gov

Ness SM. (2020). LGBTQ cultural competence training. Wild Iris Medical Education. Retrieved from https://wildirismedicaleducation.com

Syrjänen S, Rintala M, Sarkola M, Willberg J, Rautava J, Koskimaa H, et al. (2021). Oral human papillomavirus infection in children during the first 6 years of life, Finland. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 27(3), 759–66.

Tur-Kaspa I, Tur-Kaspa T, Hildebrand G, et al. (2021). COVID-19 may affect male fertility but is not sexually transmitted: a systematic review. Fertil Steril Rev, 2(2), 140–9.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). (2020). Sexually transmitted infections national strategic plan for the United States: 2021–2025. Washington, DC: author. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). (2019). STI national strategic plan overview. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov

Workowski KA, Bachmann LH, Chan PA, et al. (2021). Sexually transmitted infections treatment guidelines, 2021. MMWR Recommendations and Reports, 70(4), 1–192.



Ready to take the test?

Click the 'TAKE TEST NOW > ' button below to begin taking the test