Sexual Health For Providers

Talking about sex may not be a regular part of the doctor-patient relationship, but it should be. This can be especially true for adolescents and young adults who are disproportionately impacted by sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Half of all new STI cases are in young people between the ages of 15 and 24. Below are tools and educational materials to help providers meet the sexual health needs of their patients, as well as guide providers to resources to help improve patient care.

Taking a Sexual History

The 5 "P"s of a Sexual History:

• Partners- Have they been and are they sexually active; any new partners lately; how many partners have in the past year; gender of partners; Do their partners have other partners?
• Pregnancy Prevention-What do they do to prevent pregnancy or plan for a healthy pregnancy?
• Protection-What do they use or don't use to protect themselves and how often do they use it?
• Practices-What types of sex (vaginal, oral, anal) do and did they have?
• Past history of STIs-What did they have, and when did they have it?

Washington Department of Health requires providers to report all positive STIs to local health jurisdictions. Please complete the case report and fax it to 509-764-2813.

Positive STIs

Providers are required by the Washington Department of Health to report all positive STIs to local health jurisdictions. Please complete the case report below and fax it to 509-764-2813.

• STI Case Report Form (PDF)
• STI Treatment Guidelines
• STI Data by County

Screening Recommendations

Routine laboratory screening for common STIs is recommended for sexually active adolescents:

• Routine screening for C. trachomatis on an annual basis is recommended for all sexually active females aged under 25 years. Screening of sexually active young males should be considered in clinical settings serving populations of young males with a high prevalence of chlamydia (e.g., adolescent clinics, correctional facilities, and STI clinics) and multisite testing should be offered to young men who have sex with men (YMSN).
• Routine screening for N gonorrhoeae on an annual basis is recommended for all sexually active females under 25 years of age and other high-risk populations. Multisite testing should be offered to YMSM.
• HIV screening should be discussed and offered to all adolescents. The frequency of repeat screenings of those who are at risk for HIV infection should be based on the level of risk.
• Routine screening of adolescents who are asymptomatic for certain STIs (e.g., syphilis, trichomoniasis, BV, HSV, HPV, HAV, and HBV) is not generally recommended. However, YMSM and pregnant adolescent females should always be screened for syphilis.

Reporting Forms

The form should be completed and submitted within 3 work days (WAV 246-101-101/301). Note on page 3 of this form there is a fax prescription for partners to pick up free medication at the pharmacy.

• Partner Treatment: GCHD asks that you make every effort to help patients ensure that their partners are treated; either by seeing the partners yourself or by offering patients free medication to give to their partners expedited partner therapy (EPT).
  • Find more information about Expedited Partner Therapy here
  • Fill out this form for Partner Packs (PDF) for your office
  • Report Form (PDF)

Consent Laws

Washington State explicitly allows minors (individuals aged 14 and older) to consent to their own health services for STI screenings and treatment.