FRIDAY, Aug. 6, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- The first government-sponsored study to assess the effectiveness of a free home test kit for common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is being conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
As part of this pilot program, about 500 kits will be available in Maryland. Each kit includes a packaged, sterile vaginal swab and instructions for using it. There is also a sealed container for the swab and a postage-paid return envelope to send the samples back to the laboratory at Johns Hopkins.
Test results will be available within two weeks via a secure telephone answering service that uses kit numbers and passwords. Women who test positive for STDs will be given a referral to a local community health clinic.
The Hopkins study will: measure how many women use the kit; record how effectively test results can be returned to the women; assess how well women who test positive follow through with treatment, and determine the prevalence of STDs among the participants.
The study is funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about STDs.
