Showing papers by "Tom Wong published in 2017"
TL;DR: The evaluation suggests that GCO is an acceptable and feasible approach to engage individuals in testing, and use by first-time testers, repeated use, and STI diagnosis of individuals unable to access immediate clinic-based testing suggest GCO may facilitate uptake of STBBI testing and earlier diagnosis.
Abstract: Background: The British Columbia Centre for Disease Control implemented a comprehensive Web-based testing service GetCheckedOnline (GCO) in September 2014 in Vancouver, Canada. GCO’s objectives are to increase testing for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs), reach high-prevalence populations facing testing barriers, and increase clinical STI service capacity. GCO was promoted through email invitations to provincial STI clinic clients, access codes to clients unable to access immediate clinic-based testing (deferred testers), and a campaign to gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). Objective: The objective of the study was to report on characteristics of GCO users, use and test outcomes (overall and by promotional strategy) during this pilot phase. Methods: We used GCO program data, website metrics, and provincial STI clinic records to describe temporal trends, progression through the service pathway, and demographic, risk, and testing outcomes for individuals creating GCO accounts during the first 15 months of implementation. Results: Of 868 clients creating accounts, 318 (36.6%) submitted specimens, of whom 96 (30.2%) tested more than once and 10 (3.1%) had a positive STI diagnosis. The proportion of clients submitting specimens increased steadily over the course of the pilot phase following introduction of deferred tester codes. Clients were diverse with respect to age, gender, and ethnicity, although youth and individuals of nonwhite ethnicity were underrepresented. Of the 506 clients completing risk assessments, 215 (42.5%) were MSM, 89 (17.6%) were symptomatic, 47 (9.3%) were STI contacts, 232 (45.8%) reported condomless sex, 146 (28.9%) reported ≥4 partners in the past 3 months, and 76 (15.0%) reported a recent STI. A total of 63 (12.5%) GCO clients were testing for the first time. For 868 accounts created, 337 (38.8%) were by clinic invitations (0 diagnoses), 298 (34.3%) were by deferred testers (6 diagnoses), 194 (22.4%) were by promotional campaign (3 diagnoses), and 39 (4.5%) were by other means (1 diagnosis). Conclusions: Our evaluation suggests that GCO is an acceptable and feasible approach to engage individuals in testing. Use by first-time testers, repeated use, and STI diagnosis of individuals unable to access immediate clinic-based testing suggest GCO may facilitate uptake of STBBI testing and earlier diagnosis. Use by MSM and individuals reporting sexual risk suggests GCO may reach populations with a higher risk of STI. Motivation to test (eg, unable to access clinical services immediately) appears a key factor underlying GCO use. These findings identify areas for refinement of the testing model, further promotion, and future research (including understanding reasons for drop-off through the service pathway and more comprehensive evaluation of effectiveness). Increased uptake and diagnosis corresponding with expansion of the service within British Columbia will permit future evaluation of this service across varying populations and settings. [J Med Internet Res 2017;19(3):e81]
32 citations
TL;DR: Canadian experts must work together with governments, provinces, and territories to determine key indicators, measurement, and meaningful data analysis strategies that will form the foundation of evidence to guide programs, policies, priorities, and interventions that will ultimately improve the health of mothers and their children.
Abstract: Maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity are devastating for women, their families, and care providers. International efforts have been made to develop and to implement data collection, management, and surveillance systems that capture pregnancy-related information that can be assessed and used to improve health and system outcomes. At present, Canada does not have a national enquiry process to review maternal deaths, severe morbidity, and near misses, and has not set targets for maternal mortality reduction. Maternal mortality rates are critical measures of maternal health and provide important information for analysis of trends and priorities among and within countries. Information about near misses as well as maternal morbidity is crucial to truly understand and to prevent maternal mortality. Canadian experts must work together with governments, provinces, and territories to determine key indicators, measurement, and meaningful data analysis strategies. These data and their comparisons will form the foundation of evidence to guide programs, policies, priorities, and interventions that will ultimately improve the health of mothers and their children.
15 citations
TL;DR: Nearly two decades after the advent of HBV vaccination in Nunavut, HBV prevalence has decreased to 1.2%, indicating non-endemic prevalence, however, the persistence of infection and a lower than expected prevalence of vaccine-based immunity in the vaccine age cohort will require further investigation.
11 citations
TL;DR: Over a year after the latest Ontario guidelines were released, 40% of patients did not receive first-line treatment, putting them at risk of treatment failure and potentially promoting further drug resistance.
Abstract: Objective This study assessed adherence with first-line gonorrhoea treatment recommendations in Ontario, Canada, following recent guideline changes due to antibiotic resistance. Methods We used interrupted times-series analyses to analyse treatment data for cases of uncomplicated gonorrhoea reported in Ontario, Canada, between January 2006 and May 2014. We assessed adherence with first-line treatment according to the guidelines in place at the time and the use of specific antibiotics over time. We used the introduction of new recommendations in the Canadian Guidelines for Sexually Transmitted Infections in 2008 and 2011 and the release of the province of Ontario’s Guidelines for the Treatment and Management of Gonococcal Infections in Ontario in 2013 as interruptions in the time-series analysis. Results Overall, 34 287 gonorrhoea cases were reported between 1 January 2006 and 31 May 2014. Treatment data were available for 32 312 (94.2%). Our analysis included 32 272 (94.1%) cases without either a conjunctival or disseminated infection. Following the release of the 2011 recommendations, adherence with first-line recommendations immediately decreased to below 30%. Adherence slowly increased but did not reach baseline levels before the 2013 guidelines were released. Following release of the 2013 guidelines, adherence again decreased; adherence is slowly recovering but by May 2014, was only approximately 60%. Conclusions Due to concerns about antibiotic resistance, gonorrhoea treatment guidelines need to be updated regularly and rapidly adopted in practice. Our study showed poor adherence following dissemination of updated guidelines. Over a year after the latest Ontario guidelines were released, 40% of patients did not receive first-line treatment, putting them at risk of treatment failure and potentially promoting further drug resistance. Greater attention should be devoted to dissemination and implementation of new guidelines.
8 citations
TL;DR: A framework, with its defined measures/metrics, could reduce misclassification and improve the overall quality of reporting for monitoring and evaluation of rapid point-of-care technology strategies and their context-driven optimization.
Abstract: Objective Pilot (feasibility) studies form a vast majority of diagnostic studies with point-of-care technologies but often lack use of clear measures/metrics and a consistent framework for reporting and evaluation. To fill this gap, we systematically reviewed data to (a) catalog feasibility measures/metrics and (b) propose a framework. Methods For the period January 2000 to March 2014, 2 reviewers searched 4 databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus), retrieved 1441 citations, and abstracted data from 81 studies. We observed 2 major categories of measures, that is, implementation centered and patient centered, and 4 subcategories of measures, that is, feasibility, acceptability, preference, and patient experience. We defined and delineated metrics and measures for a feasibility framework. We documented impact measures for a comparison. Findings We observed heterogeneity in reporting of metrics as well as misclassification and misuse of metrics within measures. Although we observed poorly defined measures and metrics for feasibility, preference, and patient experience, in contrast, acceptability measure was the best defined. For example, within feasibility, metrics such as consent, completion, new infection, linkage rates, and turnaround times were misclassified and reported. Similarly, patient experience was variously reported as test convenience, comfort, pain, and/or satisfaction. In contrast, within impact measures, all the metrics were well documented, thus serving as a good baseline comparator. With our framework, we classified, delineated, and defined quantitative measures and metrics for feasibility. Conclusions Our framework, with its defined measures/metrics, could reduce misclassification and improve the overall quality of reporting for monitoring and evaluation of rapid point-of-care technology strategies and their context-driven optimization.
5 citations
TL;DR: Both adjunct selected and universal rectal screening strategies are cost effective compared to UG-only screening, and UG+UR screening is cost effective when compared toUG+SR screening.
Abstract: Adding universal rectal screening to urogenital screening should positively impact rectal Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) incidence in affected populations A dynamic Markov model was used to evaluate c
4 citations