Editor’s note: The 2024 AAP National Conference & Exhibition will take place from Sept. 27-Oct. 1 in Orlando, Fla. For more coverage, visit https://bit.ly/AAPNationalConference2024 and follow @AAPNews on LinkedIn, Facebook and X.
The Food and Drug Administration’s recent marketing authorization for the Simple 2 Test, an over-the-counter (OTC) diagnostic test for chlamydia and gonorrhea, marks the first time a test with at-home sample collection has been authorized for any sexually transmitted disease other than HIV.
Though the Simple 2 Test is intended for adults 18 and up, “ignoring the availability of over-the-counter sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing is no longer a possibility,” according to May Lau, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP, who will be addressing the topic at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition.
Dr. Lau, associate professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and Lea E. Widdice, M.D., associate professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, will present “The Status of Over-The-Counter STI Testing in the United States: Recent Updates and Future Directions” (S1305) from 4-5 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 27, in room W203 of the convention center.
Understanding the role of OTC and online testing in their patients’ and families’ health care is important for all pediatricians, said Dr. Lau, a member of the AAP Council on Adolescents and Young Adults Executive Committee.
“Even adolescents who are not having sex are curious about sex and likely know schoolmates and relatives who are having sex. The pediatrician can be a source of reliable information for their patients and families,” she said.
The session will address the Simple 2 Test, OTC HIV testing and the potential impact the tests will have on practice and policy.
“At this time, determining privacy and reliability of OTC and online STI testing is, at best, cumbersome for a select few tests and impossible for many,” Dr. Lau said. “Our session will help pediatricians understand these new testing systems and help them be prepared for the rapid changes in this domain of STI testing and counseling their patients in the rapidly changing landscape of OTC tests and online and at-home testing.”
That changing landscape may prove helpful for certain patients, including “youth in rural areas, uninsured or underinsured, unhoused youth, or those who do not have a pediatrician,” Dr. Lau said.
As more STI tests become available OTC or online, pediatricians will be able to give high-quality care to more patients, she said, including those who don’t like getting their blood drawn, those with transportation difficulties and those who want to maintain confidentiality since in-office testing may be reflected on insurance statements.
Browse the full conference schedule at https://aapexperience24.eventscribe.net/.
