Primary care of patients with sexually transmitted diseases or genitourinary symptoms in Hong Kong

Abstract

Objectives. To determine the adequacy of care received from general practitioners by patients with sexually transmitted diseases or genitourinary symptoms. Design. Prospective study. Setting. Hong Kong. Participants. Diagnoses and drug data obtained from logbooks submitted by doctors studying for the Diploma in Family Medicine and candidates for Fellowship examinations between 1999 and 2002. Main outcome measures. Diagnosis or symptom of a sexually transmitted disease and prescribed treatment. Results. Sexually transmitted diseases and genitourinary symptoms accounted for 1.1% of the workload of these community doctors in Hong Kong. The majority of patients were young adult males. The overall standard of treatment was inadequate: both multi-pharmacy and inappropriate treatment was common; in up to 30% of cases, doctors ignored local or international guidelines. Conclusion. Primary care doctors play an important role in the diagnosis and management of sexually transmitted diseases or genitourinary symptoms in Hong Kong. A high index of suspicion should be maintained and continuing education made available if doctors are to provide an equally high standard of care.