Young people
Overview
- Rates of chlamydia and gonorrhoea diagnoses in Australia are highest amongst people aged 15-24 years.
- Most young people attend a general practice at least once a year and are often unaware of their risk of infection and that STIs are often asymptomatic. The 8th edition of the RACGP Guidelines for Preventive Activities in General Practice recommends annual testing for chlamydia infection in all sexually active people aged 15-29 years (for both sexes). Currently, chlamydia is detected in approximately 1 in 20 young Australians who have screening tests in general practice
- Negotiating to see all young people alone, discussing confidentiality, minimising costs and routinely offering STI screening (using self-collected samples, when appropriate) to all young people can help overcome barriers to STI testing
- Providing care to adolescents, particularly younger adolescents, may involve a complete psychosocial (“HEADSS”) risk assessment, and an assessment of the young person’s capacity for decision-making and consent whilst being aware of child protection issues and mandatory reporting requirements.
Last Updated: Monday, 16 February 2015