Accessing screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Accessing screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
IRAS ID
228434
Contact name
Tommer Spence
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Warwick
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
P90956J, Je-S
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 3 months, 8 days
Research summary
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) take time to develop symptoms. It is therefore essential that people at risk of infection are tested regularly to prevent them being spread and causing serious health problems. Currently this does not happen enough, and one method being used to try and improve uptake of screening is remote self-sampling. This allows people to use a testing kit at home and receive the results on their mobile phones via short messaging service (SMS). The Umbrella service in Birmingham has recently started offering this alongside traditional clinic-based screening. We know that self-sampling for STIs is accurate, however there is a lack of research on what makes people decide to use it or their experience of doing so. This is essential to understanding how remote self-sampling can be best used to tackle the impact of STIs. This study will use a mixed methods approach to try and fill this knowledge gap. Firstly, focus groups will be run with key communities of interest, in order to understand perceptions of STIs screening services in Birmingham and how these are influenced by social or cultural backgrounds. Secondly, interviews will be held with people who have used a remote self-sampling kit, people who have been screened in a clinic and people who have never been screened for STIs. This will allow an in-depth picture of each experience to be developed, and for distinctions between the three groups to be identified. Finally, the findings from the qualitative phases of research will be tested across a bigger population using surveys. The outcomes of this study will be used to shape Umbrella’s STIs screening services going forward, and will be available to other researchers and practitioners as remote self-sampling becomes a more widely used approach.
REC name
West Midlands - South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/WM/0216
Date of REC Opinion
1 Nov 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion