{
  "abstract": "Objectives Many countries recommend 3-monthly chlamydia/gonorrhoea screening for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). Evidence about the limited impact of frequent, asymptomatic gonorrhoea/chlamydia screening on population prevalence, coupled with concerns about overburdened health services and antimicrobial resistance (from frequent treatment), calls into question current approaches to asymptomatic screening. We explored sexual health professionals/experts’ arguments in favour/against reducing asymptomatic screening using Polis ( www.Pol.is), an online, crowdsourcing tool for understanding what large groups think.Methods Recruited via global peak bodies/networks, 99 individuals in the field of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (43.4 % clinicians, 35.4% researchers) primarily from Australasia (41.4%), UK/Europe (29.3%) and North America (22.2%) participated. Ninety-one statements were submitted in favour/against reduced screening for GBMSM (eg, ‘Bisexual men who don’t test regularly risk putting women at risk’). Participants voted on submitted statements (agree/disagree/pass). Statements with ≥80% agreement were considered as ‘strong’ support, 70%–79% ‘moderate’ and ≤69% ‘mixed’. Statements were grouped using content analysis to assess support for clusters of related statements.Results There was ‘mixed support’ for statements on: (1) the impact of screening in reducing prevalence; (2) whether asymptomatic infections pose clinical harm/necessitate treatment; and (3) risk of antimicrobial resistance. Statements advocating for 6-monthly screening received ‘moderate support’, with arguments centring on resource use. Participants ‘strongly supported’ the need for community engagement and maintaining frequent HIV/syphilis screening.Conclusions While there were mixed opinions about relative utility, risks and harms of reducing chlamydia/gonorrhoea screening for GBMSM, arguments relating to resource constraints may provide common ground for policy changes.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Teralynn Ludwick"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Ethan T Cardwell"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Factor Inwentash School of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Tin D Vo"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Lauren Ware"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Phoebe Quinn"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Central Clinical School, Monash University, Carlton, Victoria, Australia",
        "Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Bayside Health, Carlton, Victoria, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Eric P F Chow"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Daniel Grace"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Jane S Hocking"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia"
      ],
      "name": "Fabian Yuh Shiong Kong"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Should we screen less frequently for chlamydia and gonorrhoea in gay and bisexual men who have sex with men? Findings from a global crowdsourcing exercise with experts",
  "uid": "63a3e25e-9380-55fa-afa1-aa811dcea9df"
}