BD wants to increase education on sexually transmitted infections

Earlier this year, BD

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shared results from a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. women found significant discrepancies in education around sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Of these women, over 18 years old, 77% identified as knowledgeable about vaginal infections, including yeast infections. However, only 60% said they felt knowledgeable about treatment options for these infections and STIs. The study also found that, among women who have seen a healthcare provider for routine gynecological care, they found the provider was lacking in education around these issues.

In total, 82% felt they could receive more education from providers about STIs, and treatment options for them, plus vaginal infections. Additionally, 79% found they stood to learn more from providers about testing for STIs and vaginal infections.

BD shared the results from the Harris Poll in an effort to demonstrate the importance of providing patients with the knowledge they need to address and prevent STIs. Nikos Pavlidis, the company’s VP and GM of diagnostics, spoke with MassDevice to explain the importance of these results and BD’s efforts to increase awareness and access to resources for women’s health.

Pavlidis said the methods through which women access care stood out from the Harris Poll. Across a variety of different settings, the poll demonstrated the need for diagnostics providers to give multiple options. He explained that this comes either for self-collection or in different settings with different solutions across a range of testing locations.

“[The poll] brought to our attention a couple of very interesting insights,” Pavlidis said. “Across the whole population, what was very interesting to see was the desire to know more and the desire to take control of their own health.

“There is, for sure, an opportunity to improve communication, both about testing and treatment for women.”

What statistics stood out?

Nearly half of the women surveyed last saw a healthcare provider for a routine gynecological exam one year ago or more. Only two in five did so within the previous 12 months. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends these exams at least once per year.

“Most of these women have to suffer with long-term infections,” Pavlidis explained. “Then they have to make multiple visits to healthcare providers to come to a point where they get access.”

Additionally, Pavlidis underscored the striking statistics about the disparity of access to care. This specifically came through in the testing of four different populations of women.

Less than a third of Black women (29%) surveyed say their healthcare provider properly diagnosed symptoms and prescribed the appropriate treatment after one visit. That figure fell to 23% among Hispanic women, while 42% of White women reported the proper care after one visit.

About 12% of Asian women never had a gynecological exam. That figure proved similar to the Black (10%) and Hispanic (11%) populations. Just 4% of White women reported never receiving a routine gynecological exam. Hispanic women proved more likely than White women (15% vs. 5%) to say it took longer to get an appointment. Similarly, 16% of Hispanic women reported that it took several visits to find an appropriate treatment.

“As a gynecologist with more than three decades of clinical experience, I know that when a patient is juggling multiple jobs, childcare and elder care demands, or if there isn’t a doctor or clinic located near their home or work, having to make a return visit can be a significant burden and a barrier to access to testing and treatment,” said Dr. Jeff Andrews, a gynecologist and VP of medical affairs for integrated diagnostic solutions at BD.

What BD aims to do

Pavlidis said BD and companies like it must provide support, typically in the form of explaining the types of diagnostic tests deployed into labs.

Other avenues for information and education dissemination include social media, he explained. Those campaigns typically target healthcare professionals and can help to advance the understanding and insight into the tools and options BD offers.

“We need to to empower healthcare providers with information that they feel knowledgeable and comfortable enough to provide to their patients,” he said. “[Tell them] what their intended use is and information about the interpretation of results.”

“This is an area that we feel very passionate about.”

BD also aims a lot of focus on improving access to healthcare, Pavlidis said.

Planned Parenthood recently deployed the BD COR system, which enables the diagnosis of the three most common causes of vaginitis. The FDA cleared the Vaginal Panel for the BD COR, which can help to diagnose these STIs from a single specimen, in March.

The company believes access to easy collection from a single sample across healthcare settings offers better access to better diagnostic results. This could even extend to women in underserved populations, Pavlidis said.

“I think this is an area that is a unique opportunity,” Pavlidis said. “With services like the ones that we develop, we’re creating an opportunity for lots of healthcare professionals to advance the quality of care they provide.

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