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Decreased testing could lead to surge in sexually transmitted infections
HERSHEY, Pa. – Screening and testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) decreased by 63% for men and 59% for women during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study led by Penn State and Quest Diagnostics researchers. The researchers said this may be the result of restrictions placed on direct patient care and shifts to telehealth and could lead to a possible future surge in STI cases.
This is the first national study to explore the impact of the pandemic on STIs since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shared its analysis showing an all-time high level of cases in the United States in 2019.
Decreased testing could lead to surge in sexually transmitted infections
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Labs preparing for increase in POC, homest testing post-pandemic
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Labs preparing for increase in POC, home testing post-pandemic
Adam Bonislawski, 360Dx
Dan DeLong for KHN
A clinical lab technician at the UW Medicine Virology laboratory in Seattle processes patient samples for COVID-19 on March 11, 2020.
COVID-19 has driven an uptick in healthcare delivery approaches like telemedicine and point-of-care, home, and direct-to-consumer testing, a shift that some observers believe could continue to accelerate even after the pandemic is over.
It is a trend that has a potential downside for traditional labs as increased POC and DTC testing could cut into their business. It is also, though, a pattern that fits with the industry s move even pre-pandemic toward more patient-centered models of testing and sample collection and one that some in the business suggest could ultimately expand the overall demand for testing.