A groundbreaking study from Johns Hopkins Medicine found that the Visby Medical point-of-care (POC) Sexual Health Test significantly improved management of three of the most common non-viral sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in women compared to standard laboratory testing.
The study directly compared two approaches for female STI testing in the emergency department (ED):
- Standard of Care (SOC) – Batched nucleic acid testing sent to the central lab
- POC PCR Testing – The Visby Sexual Health Test performed in real-time
Key Findings of the Study:
Rapid Results
- Time from specimen collection to STI results in just 47 minutes vs 25 hours for SOC testing
- Patients got results 5.7 hours after ED arrival vs 33.9 hours for SOC
- Reduced overall ED visit time to 9.1 hours vs 11.9 hours for SOC
Higher Rates of Appropriate Treatment
- 92.7% appropriate chlamydia treatment vs 75.1% for SOC
- 87.1% appropriate gonorrhea treatment vs 74.3% for SOC
Lower Overtreatment Rates
- Only 7% overtreatment of chlamydia negative patients vs 25.2% for SOC
- Only 13% overtreatment of gonorrhea negative patients vs 25.5% for SOC
The rapid POC results enabled organism-specific, guideline-concordant treatment rather than empiric antibiotic therapy. This reduced unnecessary antibiotic use, a major driver of antibiotic resistance.
With over 2.5 million reported STI cases in the U.S. in 20221 and rising antibiotic resistance, the Visby Sexual Health Test represents a paradigm shift in STI management. Rapid POC PCR diagnostics provide the speed and accuracy needed to improve care while combating the surge in STIs and antibiotic resistant infections.
See Abstract 503 in full article here.
