Screening Juvenile Justice-Involved Females for Sexually Transmitted Infection: A Pilot Intervention for Urban Females in Community Supervision

Little is known about Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) rates in community-supervised juvenile justice-involved (CSJJI) females, or how to best provide screening for sexually transmitted infections in this population. A pilot intervention allowed case managers to offer optional CT/GC screening to CSJJI females during mandated visits. Anonymous satisfaction surveys and discussion groups assessed intervention acceptability. Case managers met with 514 CSJJI females; 102 (20%) agreed to screening and 117 tests were completed. Among those screened, 21 (18%) had CT and 3 (3%) had GC. Intervention feedback from case managers and clients was positive, but there were barriers to recruitment. Lessons learned from this case manager-facilitated intervention may increase the acceptability and effectiveness of future screening methods in this setting.

Source: Journal of Correctional Health Care - September 27, 2013 Category: Health Management Authors: Donaldson, A. A., Burns, J., Bradshaw, C. P., Ellen, J. M., Maehr, J. Tags: Articles Source Type: research