A pilot scheme which screens emergency department patients for infectious diseases has proven to be a huge success, testing more than 3,700 patients in its first seven months.
The James Cook University Hospital team (emergency department, pathology research team and virology lab) won a prestigious award at the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) conference for the initiative which involves testing for blood borne viruses (BBV) and syphilis when people have any blood samples taken in the emergency department.
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was the first unit to include syphilis screening.
The project has shown that there are groups of people, especially those living with hepatitis C and syphilis, who have not been reached through conventional screening efforts (for example, in drug rehabilitation venues, sexual health clinics or general practices) however they attend the emergency department and can be identified via screening there.
The project was presented by Hannah Williams, a foundation year two doctor, who won the prize for the most publishable work.
David Chadwick, consultant in infectious diseases said:
“We are delighted that our team’s efforts have been recognised through this award and we have been able to show that screening people for these infections in A&E works, particularly in groups of people who don’t access other services for screening.”
Blood-borne viruses – BBV (HIV, hepatitis B/C) and syphilis infections are more common in deprived and marginalised populations. HIV and hepatitis B are disproportionally found in African and Asian minorities, hepatitis C in IV drug users and some ethnic minorities, and syphilis in those of lower socioeconomic groups.
Following the presentation, several other units around the country have confirmed they plan to implement a similar screening programme for syphilis along with BBVs based on this project. This success of the pilot project is a result of staff in emergency department, virology lab and pathology research team, as well as the centre for clinical infection and local Teesside Sexual Health services working collectively together.
Sarah Essex, research team lead for South Tees said:
“This excellent project is the result of a great collaboration across research, clinical and pathology services within the trust and the local area. I’m really proud of all the teams for coming together to deliver this study for our patients, highlighting the importance of BBV and syphilis screening and setting an example for other centres.”