TY - JOUR
T1 - 'Test n Treat (TnT)'- Rapid testing and same-day, on-site treatment to reduce rates of chlamydia in sexually active further education college students
T2 - Study protocol for a cluster randomised feasibility trial
AU - Kerry-Barnard, Sarah
AU - Fleming, Charlotte
AU - Reid, Fiona
AU - Phillips, Rachel
AU - Drennan, Vari M.
AU - Adams, Elisabeth J.
AU - Majewska, Wendy
AU - Balendra, Anjella
AU - Harding-Esch, Emma
AU - Cousins, Emma
AU - Tariq Sadiq, S.
AU - Oakeshott, Pippa
PY - 2018/6/5
Y1 - 2018/6/5
N2 - Background: Sexually active young people attending London further education (FE) colleges have high rates of chlamydia, but screening rates are low. We will conduct a cluster randomised feasibility trial of frequent, rapid, on-site chlamydia testing and same-day treatment (Test and Treat (TnT)) in six FE colleges (with parallel qualitative and economic assessments) to assess the feasibility of conducting a future trial to investigate if TnT reduces chlamydia rates. Methods: We will recruit 80 sexually active students aged 16-24 years from public areas at each of six colleges. All participants (total n = 480) will be asked to provide samples (urine for males, self-taken vaginal swabs for females) and complete questionnaires on sexual lifestyle and healthcare use at baseline and after 7 months. Participants will be informed that baseline samples will not be tested for 7 months and be advised to get screened separately. Colleges will be randomly allocated to the intervention (TnT) or the control group (no TnT). One and 4 months after recruitment, participants at each intervention college (n = 3) will be texted and invited for on-site chlamydia tests using the 90-min Cepheid GeneXpert system. Students with positive results will be asked to see a visiting nurse health adviser for same-day treatment and partner notification, (backed by genitourinary medicine follow-up). Participants in control colleges (n = 3) will receive 'thank you' texts 1 and 4 months after recruitment. Seven months after recruitment, participants from both groups will be invited to complete questionnaires and provide samples for TnT. All samples will be tested, and same-day treatment offered to students with positive results. Acceptability of TnT will be assessed by qualitative interviews of purposively sampled students (n = 30) and college staff (n = 12). We will collect data on costs of TnT and usual healthcare. Discussion: Findings will provide key values to inform feasibility, sample size and timescales of a future definitive trial of TnT in FE colleges, including: Recruitment rates
AB - Background: Sexually active young people attending London further education (FE) colleges have high rates of chlamydia, but screening rates are low. We will conduct a cluster randomised feasibility trial of frequent, rapid, on-site chlamydia testing and same-day treatment (Test and Treat (TnT)) in six FE colleges (with parallel qualitative and economic assessments) to assess the feasibility of conducting a future trial to investigate if TnT reduces chlamydia rates. Methods: We will recruit 80 sexually active students aged 16-24 years from public areas at each of six colleges. All participants (total n = 480) will be asked to provide samples (urine for males, self-taken vaginal swabs for females) and complete questionnaires on sexual lifestyle and healthcare use at baseline and after 7 months. Participants will be informed that baseline samples will not be tested for 7 months and be advised to get screened separately. Colleges will be randomly allocated to the intervention (TnT) or the control group (no TnT). One and 4 months after recruitment, participants at each intervention college (n = 3) will be texted and invited for on-site chlamydia tests using the 90-min Cepheid GeneXpert system. Students with positive results will be asked to see a visiting nurse health adviser for same-day treatment and partner notification, (backed by genitourinary medicine follow-up). Participants in control colleges (n = 3) will receive 'thank you' texts 1 and 4 months after recruitment. Seven months after recruitment, participants from both groups will be invited to complete questionnaires and provide samples for TnT. All samples will be tested, and same-day treatment offered to students with positive results. Acceptability of TnT will be assessed by qualitative interviews of purposively sampled students (n = 30) and college staff (n = 12). We will collect data on costs of TnT and usual healthcare. Discussion: Findings will provide key values to inform feasibility, sample size and timescales of a future definitive trial of TnT in FE colleges, including: Recruitment rates
KW - Cluster randomised
KW - Feasibility trial
KW - Further education colleges
KW - Rapid chlamydia tests
KW - Screening
KW - Test and treat
KW - Young people
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85048097967&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s13063-018-2674-8
DO - 10.1186/s13063-018-2674-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 29871673
AN - SCOPUS:85048097967
SN - 1745-6215
VL - 19
JO - Trials
JF - Trials
IS - 1
M1 - 311
ER -