Impact of an STI Diagnosis on People Living With HIV in La Romana, Dominican Republic: A Cross-Sectional, Qualitative, Descriptive Study.
Gabriella Sanabria, Samantha Stonbraker, Mark Bateman and 2 others
PMID 37787718WHAT IT FOUND
People living with HIV described more STI awareness and some safer-sex changes linked to an STI diagnosis, but all said HIV remained the bigger concern.
Testing found reinfections.
Key findings
01Participants reported increased STI knowledge, changes in sexual behavior, and HIV as the predominant diagnosis of concern.
02Two participants tested positive for trichomonas and one for Mycoplasma genitalium, and all three had the same infection in the parent study, confirming reinfections.
03Correct responses on STI knowledge questions rose from 62% in the parent study to 69% in this study.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only a small group of eligible patients was studied, so the findings may not apply broadly. The study was a cross-sectional snapshot and cannot show that an STI diagnosis caused behavior change. A participant declined to provide samples, and the study could not compare that person's experience with others. A long time had passed since the original diagnosis, so recall may have been difficult. The STI knowledge questions were developed by the study team and were not tested for reliability or validity.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The publication metadata indicates NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat the higher knowledge score or reported behavior changes as proof that an STI diagnosis causes safer sexual behavior. This was a small qualitative study, and the knowledge questions were not tested for reliability or validity.