Open AccessEnhancing the Routine Screening Infrastructure to Address a Syphilis Epidemic in Miami-Dade County
Author(s) -
Alejandro Larios Venegas,
Heather M. Melbourne,
Ileana Aurora Castillo,
Kenneth Spell,
William Duquette,
Kira Villamizar,
Giselle Gallo,
Don Parris,
Lourdes M. Rojas
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
sexually transmitted diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.507
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1537-4521
pISSN - 0148-5717
DOI - 10.1097/olq.0000000000001133
Subject(s) - syphilis , medicine , congenital syphilis , public health , sexually transmitted disease , miami , family medicine , medical emergency , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , nursing , environmental science , soil science
In a recent sexually transmitted disease surveillance report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Miami-Dade County had the nation's fourth highest rate of infectious syphilis, with rates of congenital syphilis on the rise. As a public health response, Homestead Hospital, in collaboration with the Florida Department of Health, enhanced their emergency department's routine HIV/HCV "opt-out" screening infrastructure to include a syphilis smart screening algorithm. The purpose of this article is to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of the algorithm.