Community pharmacy chlamydia and gonorrhea test-to-treat program: Development of an implementation toolkit

Abstract

Background

Sexually transmitted infection (STI) surveillance showed more than 2.5 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis nationally in the United States in 2022. Individuals often seek out nonemergency medical care at pharmacies. This makes community pharmacies well-positioned to address rising STI rates by offering services to screen and treat common STIs. A local health department, an independent pharmacy, and a school of pharmacy in Pennsylvania partnered to implement a test-to-treat service for chlamydia and gonorrhea within a pharmacy. This pilot program utilized the following: (1) patient self-collected test kits for chlamydia and gonorrhea screening and; (2) standing orders for treatment at the pharmacy. One goal of this pilot was to develop resources others can use to implement similar pharmacy-based chlamydia and gonorrhea testing and treatment services.

Objective

Develop an expert-informed implementation toolkit for a chlamydia and gonorrhea test-to-treat program at a community pharmacy.

Methods

The “How to Build an Implementation Toolkit from Start to Finish” framework from the University of California at Berkeley was used to design the initial toolkit outline. Toolkit content was triangulated from 3 sources: (1) comprehensive literature review; (2) pilot program implementation team meetings; and (3) feedback from public health and other experts. Pilot program partners met regularly to review and edit the toolkit. The draft toolkit was then reviewed by outside experts and potential end-users.

Results

An 11-item toolkit was developed. Toolkit contents were reviewed by 11 outside experts and potential end-users. Toolkit resources included STI training resources for pharmacy teams, testing and treatment standing orders, pharmacy treatment screening form, marketing strategies, patient education materials, sample workflow, essential supply list, and other key resources.

Conclusion

Pharmacies may need additional resources for STI testing and treatment program implementation. Toolkit resources developed from this pilot program may help pharmacies overcome implementation barriers for similar programs.