scholarly journals Traditional and Web-Based Technologies to Improve Partner Notification Following Syphilis Diagnosis Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Lima, Peru: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse L Clark ◽  
Eddy R Segura ◽  
Catherine E Oldenburg ◽  
Hector J Salvatierra ◽  
Jessica Rios ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Patient-initiated partner notification (PN) following the diagnosis of a sexually transmitted infection is a critical component of disease control in men who have sex with men (MSM) sexual networks. Both printed and internet-based technologies offer potential tools to enhance traditional partner notification approaches among MSM in resource-limited settings. OBJECTIVE This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the effect of 2 different PN technologies on notification outcomes following syphilis diagnosis among MSM in Peru: a Web-based notification system and patient-delivered partner referral cards. METHODS During 2012-2014, we screened 1625 MSM from Lima, Peru, for syphilis infection and enrolled 370 MSM with symptomatic primary or secondary syphilis (n=58) or asymptomatic latent syphilis diagnosed by serology (rapid plasma reagin, RPR, and Microhemagglutination assay for Treponema pallidum antibody; n=312). Prior to enrollment, potential participants used a computer-based self-interviewing system to enumerate their recent sexual partnerships and provide details of their 3 most recent partners. Eligible participants were randomly assigned to one of 4 intervention arms: (1) counseling and patient-initiated Web-based PN (n=95), (2) counseling with Web-based partner notification and partner referral cards (n=84), (3) counseling and partner referral cards (n=97), and (4) simple partner notification counseling (control; n=94). Self-reported partner notification was assessed after 14 days among 354 participants who returned for the follow-up assessment. RESULTS The median age of enrolled participants was 27 (interquartile range, IQR 23-34) years, with a median of 2 partners (IQR 1-5) reported in the past month. Compared with those who received only counseling (arm 4), MSM provided with access to Web-based partner notification (arms 1 and 2) or printed partner referral cards (arms 2 and 3) were more likely to have notified one or more of their sexual partners (odds ratio, OR, 2.18, 95% CI 1.30-3.66; P=.003 and OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.01-2.79; P=.045, respectively). The proportion of partners notified was also higher in both Web-based partner notification (241/421, 57.2%; P<.001) and referral card (240/467, 51.4%; P=.006) arms than in the control arm (82/232, 35.3%). CONCLUSIONS Both new Web-based technologies and traditional printed materials support patient-directed notification and improve self-reported outcomes among MSM with syphilis. Additional research is needed to refine the use of these partner notification tools in specific partnership contexts. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01720641; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01720641 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/70A89rJL4)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul L. Reiter ◽  
Amy L. Gower ◽  
Dale E. Kiss ◽  
Molly A. Malone ◽  
Mira L. Katz ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men experience several disparities related to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, including high incidence rates of anal cancer. HPV vaccine is currently recommended for young adults, yet HPV vaccine coverage is low among young gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (YGBMSM). OBJECTIVE We describe the design and methods for a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to rigorously evaluate Outsmart HPV, a population-targeted, individually-tailored web-based HPV vaccination intervention for YGBMSM. The RCT is designed to determine the efficacy of the intervention, the mechanism by which the intervention has an effect (i.e., mediation), and whether efficacy varies by participant characteristics (i.e., moderation). METHODS Outsmart HPV was previously developed and pilot-tested. The current study is a three-arm prospective RCT that will enroll a projected 1995 YGBMSM who are ages 18-25, live in the United States, and have not received any doses of HPV vaccine. Participants will be recruited via paid advertisements on social media sites and randomized to receive either: (a) standard information online about HPV vaccine (control group); (b) Outsmart HPV content online with monthly unidirectional vaccination reminders sent via text message; or (c) Outsmart HPV content online with monthly interactive vaccination reminders sent via text message. Participants will complete online surveys at four time points during the study: baseline; immediately after engaging with online content; three months after randomization; and nine months after randomization. Primary outcomes will include both HPV vaccine initiation (i.e., receipt of one or more doses of HPV vaccine) and completion (receipt of all three doses recommended for this age range). We will examine constructs from the intervention’s theoretical framework as potential mediators, and we will examine demographic and health-related characteristics as potential moderators of intervention effects. RESULTS The Institutional Review Board at The Ohio State University has approved the study. Materials have been developed and finalized for all study groups. Recruitment for the RCT is scheduled to begin in Fall 2019. CONCLUSIONS If shown to be efficacious, Outsmart HPV has the potential to fill an important gap by promoting HPV vaccination among a population at increased risk of HPV infection and HPV-related disease. CLINICALTRIAL The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04032106 (available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04032106).


10.2196/16294 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e16294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul L Reiter ◽  
Amy L Gower ◽  
Dale E Kiss ◽  
Molly A Malone ◽  
Mira L Katz ◽  
...  

Background Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men experience several disparities related to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, including high incidence rates of anal cancer. Although the HPV vaccine is currently recommended for young adults, HPV vaccine coverage is modest among young gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (YGBMSM). Objective We describe the design and methods for a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to rigorously evaluate Outsmart HPV, a population-targeted, individually tailored, Web-based HPV vaccination intervention for YGBMSM. The RCT is designed to determine the efficacy of the intervention, the mechanism by which the intervention has an effect (ie, mediation), and whether efficacy varies by participant characteristics (ie, moderation). Methods Outsmart HPV was previously developed and pilot-tested. This study is a 3-arm prospective RCT that will enroll a projected 1995 YGBMSM who are aged 18 to 25 years, live in the United States, and have not received any doses of the HPV vaccine. Participants will be recruited by means of paid advertisements on social media sites and randomized to receive (1) standard information on the Web about HPV vaccine (control group), (2) Outsmart HPV content on the Web with monthly unidirectional vaccination reminders sent via text messages, or (3) Outsmart HPV content on the Web with monthly interactive vaccination reminders sent via text messages. Participants will complete Web-based surveys at 4 time points during the study: baseline, immediately after engaging with Web-based content, 3 months after randomization, and 9 months after randomization. Primary outcomes will include both HPV vaccine initiation (ie, receipt of 1 or more doses of the HPV vaccine) and completion (receipt of all 3 doses recommended for this age range). We will examine constructs from the intervention’s theoretical framework as potential mediators and demographic and health-related characteristics as potential moderators of intervention effects. Results The institutional review board at The Ohio State University has approved the study. Materials have been developed and finalized for all study groups. Recruitment for the RCT began in fall 2019. Conclusions If shown to be efficacious, Outsmart HPV has the potential to fill an important gap by promoting HPV vaccination among a population at increased risk of HPV infection and HPV-related disease. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04032106; http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT04032106 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/16294


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dolors Carnicer-Pont ◽  
Eva Loureiro-Varela ◽  
Josep Mª Manresa ◽  
Montse Martinez ◽  
Àngels Avecilla-Palau ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND An increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as well as an increase in the use of new information and communication technologies among young people in Catalonia is the inspiration behind the idea of designing a smartphone app to promote partner notification of STIs. OBJECTIVE The main objective of this study is to design a Web-based tool adapted to smartphones for partner notification of STIs among youth who are 16 to 24 years old. Additionally, the objective is to evaluate the Web-based tool’s role in increasing the patient referral partner notification. METHODS This is a multicenter randomized controlled trial with a proportional stratification of the sample by center and random allocation of participants to the 3 arms of the study (simple Web-based intervention, game Web-based intervention, and control). This study is being conducted by midwives, gynecologists, and physicians in the sexual and reproductive areas of the primary health care centers. RESULTS The primary outcome measure is the number and proportion of partner notifications. Additional outcome measures are the yield of early diagnosis and treatment of those exposed and infected, acceptability, barriers, and preferences for partner notification. Expected results include an increase in the yield of partner notification, early diagnosis and treatment among youth using Web-based interventions compared with those receiving the traditional advice to notify, and a description of sexual networks among those participating in the study. CONCLUSIONS The Notijoves is expected to have a sustainable positive impact in the partner notification practice among youth and contribute to increasing the awareness of STI prevention. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPOR DERR1-10.2196/12896


2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. e64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric William Hall ◽  
Travis H Sanchez ◽  
Aryeh D Stein ◽  
Rob Stephenson ◽  
Maria Zlotorzynska ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rayner Kay Jin Tan ◽  
Wee Ling Koh ◽  
Daniel Le ◽  
Sumita Banerjee ◽  
Martin Tze-Wei Chio ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) are at disproportionately higher risk of acquiring HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). While HIV/STI testing rates among GBMSM are increasing worldwide, they remain suboptimal in a variety of settings. While many studies have attempted to evaluate the efficacy of a variety of community-based campaigns, including peer and reminder-based interventions on HIV/STI testing, however few have attempted to do so for a web drama series. OBJECTIVE This study evaluates the effectiveness of a popular web drama video series developed by a community-based organization in Singapore for GBMSM on HIV and other STI testing behaviors. METHODS The study is a pragmatic, randomized controlled trial to evaluate a popular web drama video series developed by a community-based organization in Singapore for GBMSM. A total of 300 HIV-negative, GBMSM men in Singapore aged 18 to 29 years old were recruited and block-randomized into the intervention (n=150) and control arms (n=150). Primary outcomes included changes in self-reported intention to test for, actual testing for, and regularity of testing for HIV, Syphilis, Chlamydia or Gonorrhoea, while secondary outcomes include changes in a variety of other knowledge-based and psychosocial measures at the end of the study period. RESULTS Overall, 125 out of 150 participants (83.3%) in the intervention arm completed the proof of completion survey, compared to 133 out of 150 participants (88.7%) in the control arm. We found statistically significant differences in self-reporting as a regular (at least yearly) tester for HIV (15.9% difference, 95%CI [3.2%, 28.6%]), as well as chlamydia or gonorrhoea (15.5% difference, 95%CI [4.2%, 26.9%]), indicating that the intervention had positively impacted these outcomes compared to the control condition. We also found statistically significant differences in participants’ intentions to test for HIV (16.6% difference, 95%CI [4.3%, 28.9%]), syphilis (14.8% difference, 95%CI [3.2%, 26.4%]), as well as chlamydia or gonorrhoea (15.4% difference, 95%CI [4.2%, 26.6%]), in the next three months, indicating that the intervention was effective in positively impacting intention for HIV and other STI testing among participants. CONCLUSIONS There are clear benefits for promoting intentions to test regularly and prospectively on a broad scale through this intervention. This intervention also has potential to reach GBMSM who may not have access to conventional HIV and other STI prevention messaging, which have typically been implemented at sex-on-premises venues, bars, clubs, and in sexual health settings frequented by GBMSM. When coupled with community or population-wide structural interventions, the overall impact on testing will likely be significant. CLINICALTRIAL Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04021953 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033855


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