Getting tested for STIs is an essential part of a regular health check for anyone who is sexually active. Some people find it difficult or embarrassing to go for a test at a clinic, but the advent of home DIY testing kits means that more people are now testing themselves.
Many people are not getting tested for STIs despite the huge risks to health. However, home testing kits can increase the number of people who are tested for diseases and studies show that making these kits more available doubles the number of people getting tested.
Sexually Transmitted Infections
STIs include chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital warts, herpes and others. Although some STIs need testing at a clinic, some STIs can be tested at home with a kit. The testing kits can be requested on the internet and sent out to homes. People can test themselves using the simple instructions. It is then possible to send the test back and get results by mobile phone or by text message. All you need is an address to receive the package and access to the internet.
A study showed that 50% of the people asked about testing had a test if they could do it online and at home, compared with just 26.6% of the people who had to go to a clinic to be tested. The easy accessibility and greater anonymity of home testing make this much more convenient and emotionally comfortable for most people.
Home STI testing kits
Home STI kits, such as those available at https://www.greenwichsexualhealth.org/chlamydia_screening/ make testing for STIs an easy process. This means that by making test kits more readily available online, people will be much more likely to get tested and to get treatment for STIs. This is especially true of younger people, who are used to using the internet and are also more at risk of catching an STI.
Of course, clinics are vitally important and play an essential role in community health. However, if more home testing kits are made available and this service is researched more thoroughly, e-STI tests running alongside face-to-face services could double the number of people being tested. The incidence of STIs will then decrease across society as more people seek treatment. This can only be a good thing for the health of society.
