Victoria residents who are concerned they might have a sexually transmitted disease now have a novel option for getting tested. Instead of visiting a physician鈥檚 office, they can order the test online.
Island Health is partnering with the B.C. Centre for Disease Control and LifeLabs to offer the new service. The infections covered by the project are chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, as well as HIV and hepatitis C.
Anyone who fears they might be at risk can open an account with GetCheckedOnline, and book a test. Samples are taken at any of the participating LifeLabs facilities in the region, and read by the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
If the results are negative, they鈥檙e posted online where the patient can see them. If they are positive, meaning a disease might be present (some tests yield false positives), the results aren鈥檛 posted.
Instead, the patient is called by a staff member who explains the result and helps arrange a followup. The service is free.
While not without its difficulties, this is a welcome innovation. Some patients hesitate to see a physician in such circumstances. The new service should result in more people getting checked.
STDs are on the rise across 91原创 Island, with chlamydia in the lead. Anything that slows or halts the trend is a step in the right direction.
Indeed the question might be asked: Couldn鈥檛 we take this further?
With family physicians in short supply, and wait times to see specialists approaching a year in some cases, wouldn鈥檛 it ease the pressure if patients could order a wider range of tests themselves?
In fact, this is becoming one of the most controversial issues in modern medicine. Critics complain the traditional system is overly paternalistic, with patients relegated to a position of outmoded dependency.
In an era when clinical information is widely available on the Internet, they advocate giving patients more autonomy.
And in the U.S., patient-initiated testing is surging ahead. Just about any lab procedure can be ordered online, though often with a hefty price tag.
Physicians, on the other hand, fear a cascade of unnecessary tests, waves of false positives, needlessly frightened patients and more, not fewer, people lining up for appointments.
A little knowledge, they argue, can be a dangerous thing.
Neither of these opposing viewpoints is well-supported by research. Much of the evidence on both sides is anecdotal. It鈥檚 really not known how much additional autonomy patients can safely be given.
Yet there does appear to be a little room. People with chronic diseases, such as stable diabetes, might be allowed to conduct more of their own surveillance. And some screening tests, such as cholesterol counts in men over 50, could perhaps be routinized.
In the same way, some drugs that currently require a prescription, such as birth-control pills, might be sold over the counter to patients who qualify. And GPs might make more use of email, instead of office visits, when responding to routine matters.
In short, there is a case for easing traditional formalities, so long as it鈥檚 done within well-defined guidelines. Island Health has no plans, at this stage, to extend the service to other tests or procedures. Given the current state of knowledge, that seems wise.
But this new approach should be closely watched. It does seem, with an increasingly well-informed public, that there is an opportunity here.
And it should be clear in a relatively short time whether hopes or fears are realized. If the rising count of STDs is halted, and GPs are not inundated by needlessly alarmed patients, a new avenue of treatment will be opened.
Where it might lead is unknown, but to our overworked health-care system, any relief is welcome.
