Syphilis in pregnancy: a qualitative investigation of healthcare provider perspectives on barriers to syphilis screening during pregnancy in south-east Queensland

Warzywoda, Sarah; Fowler, James A.; Nourse, Clare; Wu, Mandy; Britton, Sumudu; Rowling, Diane; Griffin, Paul; Lazarou, Mattea; Hamilton, Zoe; Dean, Judith

doi:10.1071/sh22193

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Research has identified that HCPs in primary care settings may, at times, avoid discussing SRH. 53 , 54 Yet, these conversations can enhance agency and health literacy, particularly amongst priority sub-groups who are known to experience barriers accessing information and discussing SRH (e.g. migrants and international students).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating sexual and reproductive health into pre-travel consultations

Santaolaya,

Malhotra,

Fowler

et al. 2024

Journal of Travel Medicine

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Background Casual sex during travel is a major preventable factor in the global transmission of sexually transmissible infections (STI). Pre-travel consults present an excellent opportunity for practitioners to educate travellers about sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and safety. The scoping review aims to explore and understand the extent to which SRH is included in pre-travel consultations. Methods PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Medline and Web of Science were systematically searched for primary research articles exploring whether health care practitioners (HCP) included SRH in pre-travel consultations. Extracted findings were synthesised and presented in narrative form. Results Findings across 13 articles suggest HCP infrequently broached SRH in pre-travel consultations with HCP discomfort, and lack of time and resources presented as key barriers. Urban practice settings, HCP experience, training in travel medicine, and traveller characteristics such as sexual orientation were positively correlated with discussions about SRH. SRH advice reported was general in nature, primarily focusing on safer sex, condoms, or unspecified STI advice. Risk assessments based solely on age or stereotypes around sexual preferences led to key aspects of SRH care being missed for some (e.g. SRH was less likely to be discussed with older travellers). Conclusions HCPs frequently miss opportunities to integrate SRH into pre-travel consultations. Strategies to promote HCP confidence and awareness present a promising means to boost the frequency and quality of SRH advice disseminated. Integrating culturally safe and responsive SRH history-taking and advice into pre-travel consultations may contribute to global reductions in STI transmission and promote traveller SRH well-being.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating sexual and reproductive health into pre-travel consultations

Santaolaya,

Malhotra,

Fowler

et al. 2024

Journal of Travel Medicine

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show abstract

“…Consideration needs to be given on how to best achieve effective education and dissemination of sexual health information and the development of consistent, clear tools that allow for streamlined access to up-to-date clinical guidelines and important information about emerging changes in STI trends, such as the current ongoing increases in infectious syphilis occurring in Australia and other high income countries to help improve service delivery. [46][47][48][49][50][51]…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The provision of sexual and reproductive health information and services to travellers: an exploratory survey of Australian travel medicine clinicians

Warzywoda,

Fowler,

Debattista

et al. 2024

Sex. Health

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Background International travel can increase the risk of exposure to infectious diseases including sexually transmissible infections (STI). Pre-travel medical consultation provides an opportunity for travel-related health risk assessments and advice. This study explored how travel medicine clinicians integrate sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services into clinical practice. Methods A convenience sample of travel medicine clinicians completed a cross-sectional survey online or via hard-copy disseminated at an annual national Australian travel medicine conference. Results Of the 67 respondents, most (n, 51; 76.1%) had a postgraduate qualification relevant to travel medicine and 55.2% (n, 37) had worked in travel medicine for over 10 years. Only 22.4% (n, 15) reported conducting a SRH history/STI risk assessment for all travel patients. STI testing pre-departure was conducted on patient request (48, 71.6%), if symptomatic (32, 47.8%) or based on risk history (28, 41.8%). SRH information pre-departure was most frequently provided if prompted by patient questions (n, 42; 62.7%), or based on the patient’s history (n, 37; 55.2%). Over half the sample (n, 40; 59.7%) expressed interest in further training in SRH. Conclusion Providing and engaging with additional training may assist travel medicine clinicians to take a more proactive approach to SRH consultations and STI testing. Additional research is needed to explore models of care that will allow comprehensive SRH and STI services to be integrated into standard pre- and post-travel care.

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“…Warzywoda et al also highlight the importance of knowledge as a facilitator for reproductive health, in their qualitative exploration of barriers to antenatal screening for syphilis in Queensland from healthcare provider's perspectives. 9 Infectious syphilis is on the rise in many middle-and highincome countries, including Australia and New Zealand. 10 Worryingly, a large number of infections are among women of reproductive age, increasing the risk of congenital syphilis (that is, where the infection passes from the mother to the baby).…”

Section: Pregnancymentioning

confidence: 99%