Advances in Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing at Home and in Nonclinical Settings Close to the Home

Abstract

P rompt and high-performing testing is key to sexually transmitted infection (STI) treatment and transmission interruption. The COVID-19 pandemic brought a plethora of new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 testing approaches. An unprecedented availability of new rapid test formats reached the US market under emergency use authorization. New STI testing approaches are also rapidly evolving, partially out of necessity, like pandemic-related obstacles to traditional STI testing, for example, supply shortages, closed sexually transmitted disease clinics, or an overburdened laboratory workforce. New Internetbased STI test offerors and remote laboratories have sprung up despite regulatory uncertainty and despite quality and technical challenges, as recently described in an in-depth technical review article. 1 The home testing or home specimen self-collection activities have even been noticed in the media. 2 In contrast to our previous technology review, 1 this commentary describes 3 emerging testing strategies. First, telehealth concepts with specimen home collection have emerged. Second, usage of new point-of-care tests close to the home is becoming possible. Third, emerging features of COVID-19 self-tests are discussed. Their accelerated market entry is a success and raises the possibility that similar STI tests may become available.

Sexual healthcare and at-home STI test collection: attitudes and preferences of transgender women in the Southeastern United States

“…In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth and at-home healthcare technologies are now a permanent fixture in care delivery, both in the US and worldwide (18). Acceptability and development of such technologies for PrEP and STI testing have been promising in recent years (19)(20)(21)(22). Thus, understanding how these options can be implemented to suit the unique needs and preferences of populations who may access PrEP or frequently need STI testing, including transgender women, is essential.…”

Creating a Sexually Transmitted Infection Disease Intervention Workforce for the 21st Century

“…Self collection of swabs was also acceptable and was chosen by 62% of participants who were identified for this screening 27 . Advances in rapid test technology 28 along with self-collection of specimens could potentially be used as part of disease investigation efforts. Advances in diagnostics, including molecular and rapid tests, accelerated at an extraordinary pace during the COVID-19 pandemic 29 …”

The Critical Need to Modernize Syphilis Screening

“…There are 2 main approaches for achieving this: at-home sample collection and at-home rapid testing . At-home sample collection allows patients to order, self-collect, and submit the samples via mail or a convenient drop-off location to a central laboratory for testing.…”