Texting for Testing
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Effectiveness of a Text Message from General Practice to Increase Testing for Sexually Transmitted Infections via an Online Postal Testing Platform
IRAS ID
347004
Contact name
Natalie Richards
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cardiff University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 30 days
Research summary
As part of the Wales HIV Action Plan the Welsh government seeks to increase access to testing services and reduce the stigma around testing. As part of this Public Health Wales are delivering an initiative where GP practices across four health boards in Wales (Aneurin Bevan, Betsi Cadwaladr, Cardiff and Vale, and Swansea Bay) will send a text message to their patients aged 16 and over indicating the practices support of STI testing and have a link to the free Wales online postal self-sampling service for STIs (Test and Post). To understand the impact of this initiative before it is rolled out across Wales, we want to evaluate the impact, the process and economic viability.
We aim to determine i) whether the text message increases the uptake of STI tests, ii) the effectiveness of the text message on increasing the number of people detected with an STI; iii) whether the initiative is cost-effective; iv) the experiences and views of those sending text, receiving the text and those who have used the testing platform.
The impact evaluation will be compromised of a controlled interrupted time series analysis of the order and test result data (the remaining 3 health boards acting as the control). We will obtain anonymised dataset from Public Health Wales to determine whether there has been a change in testing and diagnoses after the text was sent.
The process evaluation will collect survey data and interview people who have received the text message, accessed the online STI testing system, and obtain anonymised information from GP practices about the queries patients may have had about the text message. We will also conduct an economic evaluation based on costs associated with the initiative and usual care pathways.REC name
Wales REC 3
REC reference
25/WA/0257
Date of REC Opinion
18 Sep 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion