Taming The SRU
Taming The SRU - June 08, 2022 - By Melanie Yates
"Rates of sexually transmitted infections (STI), including syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, have been increasing over the past 10 years. Emergency department (ED) visits with an STI diagnosis increased 39% from the time period of 2008-2010 to 2011-2013. From 2011-2013 alone, that equals a total of 506,000 visits with STI diagnoses in the ED. EDs fill the gap in STI diagnosis and treatment, especially in the setting of closed STI clinics and difficulty in accessing primary care providers. STIs are important to diagnose and manage early to avoid complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), infertility, sepsis, or even death.
In 2021 the CDC Treatment Guidelines for STIs were updated, which are the main source of information for treatment recommendations in the ED: these will be reviewed here."