STI test vending machines could reduce high infection rates
Vending machines offering free STI testing kits could help reduce high infection rates by encouraging people to get tested, research suggests.
A pilot using 11 machines found that young people in particular picked up the kits and liked being able to do the tests at home in their own time.
The study, published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections, looked at data for STI and separate HIV testing kits from vending machines installed in Brighton and Bristol for a year.
To get a test people had to answer six questions, such as their age, gender and when they last tested, and enter a code sent to their mobile phone.
The research comes as sexual health services face "unprecedented" demand from STI cases.
More than two-thirds of council areas have seen the rates of gonorrhoea and syphilis increase in the last six years, while 36% of local authority areas have seen increases in cases of chlamydia, Local Government Authority data showed.
More than 2,530 kits were dispensed over 12 months, 74% of which were STI kits. Most were taken by people aged 16 to 35, and 56% were men.
Of the people who took a testing kit, 59% had never tested for HIV and STIs before.
Just over half of the kits were returned, suggesting that 49% of the kits taken were not actually used.
The return rate from the vending machines was lower than local online services, which typically see 65% of testing kits returned so users can get their results.
But the research showed that people liked the convenience of accessing the tests via a vending machine, as well as the fact that it was more confidential.
Study author Dr Syra Dhillon, who is currently an intensive care medic at Whittington Health NHS Trust, said the vending machines were a “great initiative” particularly for people “who find current methods inaccessible”.
“Some people find that seeking testing at clinics or via a GP can be embarrassing or time consuming and, for a lot of people in the UK, receiving a test kit through the post to a home address is not feasible," she added.
The next steps would include analysing the cost of installing the machines, before a possible national rollout.
"It is great that the vending machines are able to reach people who wouldn't otherwise get tested", Marc Tweed, service manager at the Terrence Higgins Trust in Brighton and Hove said.
“Putting vending machines in spaces like libraries and universities helps to normalise sexual health testing, but the issues raised by users around safety and privacy need to be negotiated to ensure people feel comfortable enough to use them," he said.
Helplines and support
There are lots of useful helplines to find out more information and advice on sexual health
You can call the national sexual health helpline free on 0300 123 7123, Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm, Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 4pm. Your call will be treated with sensitivity and in strict confidence.
British Pregnancy Advisory Service (bpas) – provides advice and support about contraception, abortion and sexual health; call the helpline on 03457 30 40 30, 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm, Saturday and 9.30am to 2.30pm on Sunday or email info@bpas.org
Brook – the young people's sexual health charity for under-25s provides advice, support and information about your nearest sexual health clinic
FPA – provides information about individual methods of contraception, STIs, pregnancy choices, abortion and planning a pregnancy
Switchboard: the LGBT+ helpline – provides an information, support and referral service for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans (transgender, transsexual, transvestite) people; call the helpline on 0300 330 0630, open 10am to 10pm daily
Terrence Higgins Trust – provides information, support and advice about HIV and sexual health; call the helpline on 0808 802 1221, open 10am to 6pm Monday to Friday
Health for Teens – includes sexual health information and advice for teenagers
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