Genital chlamydia in southern New South Wales: an ecological analysis of testing and notification patterns 2004-2008

Abstract

Objective: To identify demographic patterns for chlamydia testing rates on reported general practice (GP) visits and notification rates in residents of Greater Southern Area Health Service (GSAHS) for the period 2004-2008.

Design: Descriptive analysis of presentation and chlamydia-specific Medicare data and chlamydia notifications made to GSAHS Public Health Unit.

Setting: Rural and remote southern New South Wales.

Participants: Residents of GSAHS who had a Medicare recorded visit to a GP and chlamydia pathology collected in the period July 2004 to June 2008, and those residents notified to the GSAHS Public Health Unit with a positive chlamydia test results.

Main outcome measures: Age and gender trends for GP visits, chlamydia testing and chlamydia notifications.

Results: While chlamydia testing and notification rates increased over the review period, the percentage of chlamydia tests performed remained low. There was a greater increase in testing rates among women than men, and the highest were among women aged 15-24. Chlamydia notification rates increased across all age groups and were greater in women aged 15-24 than men of the same age group.

Conclusion: The low proportion of tests performed to presentations (in conjunction with the high proportion of notifications to tests performed) reflects that chlamydia testing among providers is still being undertaken in a targeted approach rather than from a population-focused screening perspective. Further work with GPs is required to improve chlamydia screening rates, and ensure practice is consistent with national guidelines.