Sexually Transmitted Infections: UK National Screening and Testing Guidelines

The Bacterial Special Interest Group (BSIG) of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV was commissioned by the Clinical Effectiveness Group (CEG) to write screening and testing guidelines for use in UK genitourinary (GU) medicine clinics. The aims of these guidelines are to: ·provide advice on what tests for sexually transmitted diseases are most appropriate in a UK GU clinic setting (excluding HIV infected patients) ·provide a basis for audit ·support clinics when bidding for additional resources to meet national standards Although designed for use by GU clinics the recommendations may also provide information and guidance for other healthcare settings wishing to optimise the diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections. In compiling the guideline advice has been taken from a variety of different experts in the UK. The grade of evidence for each recommendation is given and it is evident that in many cases there is a lack of clinical trial data which has led to the use of appropriate expert opinion. There is therefore a clear need for future research programmes to assess the efficacy of different approaches for sexually transmitted infections (STI) screening and testing.