Communication Strategies Used to Obtain Clinical Histories Before Remotely Prescribing Antibiotics for Postal Treatment of Uncomplicated Genital Chlamydia: Service Evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Web-based services for testing of sexually transmitted infections are widely available across the United Kingdom. Remote prescriptions with medications posted home may support prompt treatment; however, the absence of face-to-face contact with clinicians raises clinical safety issues as medical history may not be accurately provided. OBJECTIVE: This service evaluation aimed to capture the use and explore the safety of 3 remote communication strategies employed within a web-based service offering remote prescriptions of antibiotics, delivered via post, for uncomplicated genital Chlamydia trachomatis. User acceptability and time-from-diagnosis-to-treatment were also obtained. METHODS: Three iterations of the service were compared, where medical history was collected via SMS text message, telephone, or a secure web form before a prescription was issued. We contacted users after they were issued a prescription and completed the medical history a second time via telephone, asking when they took their medication and how they felt about the service. The primary safety measure was agreement in information supplied at 2 assessments (ie, clinical and evaluation assessment) on key elements of safe prescribing: allergies, current medications, or contraindicating clinical conditions or symptoms. Agreement in information between clinical and evaluation assessment was summarized as a binary variable. Factors associated with the assessment agreement variable were explored using univariate and multivariate analysis. The secondary evaluation measures were recall of and adherence to instructions for taking medication, time-from-diagnosis-to-treatment, and acceptability of the web-based service. RESULTS: All web-based service users, resident in the London Boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark with a positive chlamydia diagnosis, who were eligible for and chose postal treatment between February 15, 2017, and October 24, 2017, were invited to participate in this service evaluation. Of 321 eligible users, 62.0% (199) participated. A total of 27.6% (55/199) users completed the clinical assessment via SMS text message, 40.7% (81/199) users via telephone, and 31.7% (63/199) users via a secure web form. Those who were assessed for prescription via SMS text message were less likely to have an agreement in safe prescribing information than those assessed via telephone (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.22, 95% CI 0.08-0.61; P=.004). We found no statistically significant difference in odds of agreement between the web form and telephone assessment (aOR 0.50, 95% CI 0.17-1.43; P=.20). Median time-to-treatment was 4 days (IQR 3-5.5). In addition, 99.0% (196/199) of users reported understanding remote communication, and 89.9% (178/198) would use the service again. CONCLUSIONS: Postal treatment is an acceptable and rapid treatment option for uncomplicated genital chlamydia. Clinical assessment via SMS text message before remote prescription may not be accurate or sufficient. As health care is delivered via the web, strategies that support safe remote prescribing are increasingly important, as is their evaluation, which should be robust and carefully considered.

Opt-in versus universal codeine provision for medical abortion up to 10 weeks of gestation at British Pregnancy Advisory Service: a cross-sectional evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: To assess patient experiences of pain management during medical abortion up to 10 weeks' gestation with opt-in versus universal codeine provision. METHODS: We invited patients who underwent medical abortion up to 10 weeks of gestation to participate in an online, anonymous, English-language survey from November 2021 to March 2022. We performed ordinal regression analyses to compare satisfaction with pain management (5-point Likert scale) and maximum abortion pain score (11-point numerical rating scale) in the opt-in versus universal codeine provision groups. RESULTS: Of 11 906 patients invited to participate, 1625 (13.6%) completed the survey. Participants reported a mean maximum pain score of 6.8±2.2. A total of 1149 participants (70.7%) reported using codeine for pain management during their abortion. Participants in the opt-in codeine provision group were significantly more likely to be satisfied with their pain management than those in the universal group (aOR 1.48, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.96, p<0.01). Maximum abortion pain scores were lower on average among the opt-in codeine provision group (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.96, p=0.02); however, this association was not statistically significant in the model adjusted for covariates (aOR 0.85, 95% CI 0.70 to 1.03, p=0.09). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that patients have a better experience with pain management during medical abortion when able to opt-in to codeine provision following counselling versus receiving this medication routinely.

Agreement between self-reported and researcher-measured height, weight and blood pressure measurements for online prescription of the combined oral contraceptive pill: an observational study.

OBJECTIVES: To compare agreement between self-reported height, weight and blood pressure measurements submitted to an online contraceptive service with researcher-measured values and document strategies used for self-reporting. DESIGN: An observational study. SETTING: An online sexual health service which provided the combined oral contraceptive pill, free of charge, to users in Southeast London, England. PARTICIPANTS: Between August 2017 and August 2019, 365 participants were recruited. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome, for which the study was powered, was the agreement between self-reported and researcher-measured body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure measurements, compared using kappa coefficients. Secondary measures of agreement included sensitivity, specificity and Bland Altman plots. The study also describes strategies used for self-reporting and classifies their clinical appropriateness. RESULTS: 327 participants fully described their process of blood pressure measurement with 296 (90.5%) classified as clinically appropriate. Agreement between self-reported and researcher-measured BMI was substantial (0.72 (95% CI 0.42 to 1.0)), but poor for blood pressure (0.06 (95% CI -0.11 to 0.23)). Self-reported height and weight readings identified 80.0% (95% CI 28.4 to 99.5) of individuals with a researcher-measured high BMI (≥than 35 kg/m2) and 9.1% (95% CI 0.23 to 41.3) of participants with a researcher-measured high blood pressure (≥140/90 mm Hg). CONCLUSION: In this study, while self-reported BMI was found to have substantial agreement with researcher-measured BMI, self-reported blood pressure was shown to have poor agreement with researcher-measured blood pressure. This may be due to the inherent variability of blood pressure, overdiagnosis of hypertension by researchers due to 'white coat syndrome' or inaccurate self-reporting. Strategies to improve self-reporting of blood pressure for remote prescription of the combined pill are needed.

Contraception in Person-Contraception Online (CiP-CO) cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Online contraception services increasingly provide information, clinical assessment and home-delivered oral contraceptives (OCs). Evidence is lacking on the effects of online contraceptive service use on short-term contraceptive continuation. METHODS: Cohort study comparing contraceptive continuation between new users of a free-to-access online OC service in South East London with those from other, face-to-face services in the same area. Online questionnaires collected data on participants' sociodemographic characteristics, motivations for OC access, service ratings, OC knowledge and contraceptive use. Contraceptive use in the 4-month study period was measured using health service records. Unadjusted and multivariable logistic regression models compared outcomes between the online service group and those using other services. RESULTS: Online service-users (n=138) were more likely to experience short-term continuation of OCs compared with participants using other services (n=98) after adjusting for sociodemographic and other characteristics (adjusted OR 2.94, 95% CI 1.52 to 5.70). Online service-users rated their service more highly (mean 25.22, SD 3.77) than the other services group (mean 22.70, SD 4.35; p<0.001), valuing convenience and speed of access. Among progestogen-only pill users, knowledge scores were higher for the online group (mean 4.83, SD 1.90) than the other services group (mean 3.87, SD 1.73; p=0.007). Among combined oral contraceptive users, knowledge scores were similar between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Free-to-access, online contraception has the potential to improve short-term continuation of OCs. Further research using a larger study population and analysis of longer-term outcomes are required to understand the impact of online services on unintended pregnancy.

How do users of a 'digital-only' contraceptive service provide biometric measurements and what does this teach us about safe and effective online care? A qualitative interview study.

OBJECTIVES: To describe user experience of obtaining and uploading biometric measurements to a 'digital-only' contraceptive service prior to a prescription for the combined oral contraceptive (COC). To analyse this experience to inform the design of safe and acceptable 'digital-only' online contraceptive services. SETTING: An online contraceptive service available free of charge to women in South East London, UK. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty participants who had ordered the combined oral contraceptive (COC) online. Our purposive sampling strategy ensured that we included participants from a wide range of ages and those who were and were not prescribed the COC. INTERVENTION: A 'digital-only' contraceptive service that prescribes the COCafter an online medical history and self-reported height, weight and blood pressure (BP) with pills prescribed by a GMC registered doctor, dispensed by an online pharmacy and posted to the user. DESIGN: Semistructured interviews with a purposive sample of 20 participants who were already enrolled in a larger study of this service. ANALYSIS: Inductive, thematic analysis of the interviews assisted by NVivo qualitative analysis software. RESULTS: Users valued the convenience of 'digital-only care' but experienced measuring BP but not height or weight as a significant barrier to service use. They actively engaged in work to understand and measure BP through a combination of recent/past measurements, borrowed machines, health service visits and online research. They negotiated tensions around maintaining a trusting relationship with the service, meeting its demands for accurate information while also obtaining the contraception that they needed. CONCLUSION: Digital strategies to build trusting clinical relationships despite a lack of face-to-face contact are needed in 'digital-only' health services. This includes acknowledgement of work required, evidence of credible human support and a digital interface that communicates the health benefits of collaborating with an engaged clinical team.