Major chlamydia study publishes results
News release from the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment
13 March 2007
Today one of the largest studies to investigate screen ing for chlamydia has published its full results. The Chlamydia Screening Studies (ClaSS) project, commissioned by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme, answers some of the biggest questions about chlamydia, informing the development of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme. The results of six linked studies include the finding that using trained practice nurses to notify partners is as effective as referral to a specialist health advisor and costs the same, and that chlamydia affects as many men as women, so they should be targeted as intensively as women. Currently screen ing is focused on women, as the repercussions of chlamydia can be more serious for them.
The ClaSS project was commissioned by the HTA programme to investigate the most effective way to screen for chlamydia. It is the world's most commonly reported sexually transmitted infection, causing over 100,000 new cases a year in men and women throughout England and Wales, costing the NHS over £100 million per year in associated treatment costs.
More than 4,500 patients took part in the multi-centre series of studies, led by Dr Nicola Low and Professor Matthias Egger, both formerly of the University of Bristol, and now at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Researchers investigated the overall prevalence of chlamydia; the most effective procedures for notifying partners; the performance of different screen ing strategies and tests; as well as the emotional, social and psychological effects of screening.
“The findings of these studies will help to inform the ongoing development of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme, which is currently rolling out a targeted and opportunistic screen ing programme to all PCTs,” says Dr Low. “Our research has identified some interventions that could be evaluated in a randomised trial to help determine the effectiveness of opportunistic screening. For example, the use of practice registers at central screening offices, and issuing postal invitations offering home-based specimen collection for some patients. We also found that practice nurses could play a bigger role in the notification and treatment of partners.”
The research is published in full in the Health Technology Assessment journal series Vol 11.08. To download the report visit www.hta.ac.uk/project.asp?PjtId=1137
For more information on the government's policies on sexual health visit The National Chlamydia Screening Programme
Notes:
Active screening means that people are actively sought and invited for screening (also known as population, or call-recall screening). Opportunistic programmes offer screening tests to health service users even if attendances are unrelated to the disease being screened for.
Chlamydia prevalence is highest in sexually active women aged 16 to 24 years and men aged 18 to 29 years.
Notes for editors
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The HTA programme is a programme of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and produces high quality research information about the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage and provide care in the NHS. It is the largest of the NIHR programmes and publishes the results of its research in the Health Technology Assessment journal, with more than 400 issues published to date. The journal’s 2007 Impact Factor (3.87) ranked it in the top 10% of medical and health-related journals. All issues are available for download free of charge from the website, www.hta.ac.uk The HTA programme is coordinated by the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment (NCCHTA), based at the University of Southampton.
- The National Institute for Health Research provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility. The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training. Its aim is to support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading edge research focused on the needs of patients. www.nihr.ac.uk
Contact details
Naomi Stockley, Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 595 646, Email: ns5@soton.ac.uk
Helen Nikandrou, Assistant Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 595 584, Email: h.nikandrou@soton.ac.uk
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