Development of a Sexual Health Screening Tool for Adolescent Emergency Department Patients

Overview

Journal Acad Emerg Med

Publisher Wiley

Specialty Emergency Medicine

Date 2016 Apr 30

PMID 27126128

Citations 9

Authors

Monika K Goyal

Judy A Shea

Katie L Hayes

Gia Badolato

James M Chamberlain

Theoklis Zaoutis

Joel Fein

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: The objective was to develop a content-valid audio computer-assisted self-interview (ACASI) sexual health survey (SHS) that is understandable and acceptable to adolescents and can be feasibly implemented in a pediatric emergency department (ED) for sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk assessment.

Methods: Multistep iterative qualitative study utilizing a Delphi panel of key informants for survey development and content validity, cognitive interviews with end-users to evaluate understanding, and pilot testing with end-users to evaluate acceptability and feasibility.

Results: We developed a 20-item questionnaire through an iterative modified Delphi process with experts in adolescent and pediatric emergency medicine. All items were assessed as understandable by >90% of adolescents during the cognitive interviews. All respondents found the SHS easy to use. A total of 76.5% preferred answering questions related to sexual health through the SHS compared to face-to-face interviews. Mean (±SD) length of survey completion was 17.5 (±6.7) minutes and 88.6% of participants found survey length to be "just right." With respect to feasibility testing, there was no statistically significant difference in median ED LOS between those who piloted the SHS and those who did not (230.0 minutes vs. 219.0 minutes; p = 0.7).

Conclusions: We developed a content-valid ACASI for the identification of adolescents at risk for STIs that was understandable, acceptable, and easy to use by adolescent patients and feasible for implementation in the pediatric ED. Future planned steps include the evaluation of the SHS in providing clinical decision support for targeted STI screening in the ED.

Citing Articles

Contraception Use and Pregnancy Risk Among Adolescents in Pediatric Emergency Departments.

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Screening for Adolescent Risk Behaviors: Preliminary Evidence for a Family Functioning Tool.

Fernandez A, Lozano A, Lee T, Prado G Int J Behav Med. 2023; 31(5):669-678.

PMID: 37580481 DOI: 10.1007/s12529-023-10209-7.

Electronic Screening for Adolescent Risk Behaviors in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Thomas-Smith S, Klein E, Strelitz B, Jensen J, Parker E, Richardson L West J Emerg Med. 2022; 23(6):931-938.

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Identifying sexual risk-taking and ill health in the meeting with young people-experiences of using an assessment tool.

Kilander H, Alehagen S, Hammarstrom S, Golsater M Scand J Caring Sci. 2022; 36(4):1189-1196.

PMID: 35445754 PMC: 9790609. DOI: 10.1111/scs.13081.

Cost-effectiveness of Sexually Transmitted Infection Screening for Adolescents and Young Adults in the Pediatric Emergency Department.

Eckman M, Reed J, Trent M, Goyal M JAMA Pediatr. 2020; 175(1):81-89.

PMID: 33136149 PMC: 7607492. DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.3571.

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