The Limitations of "Standard" STI Testing: Who Benefits and Who is Left Behind?
People have a tendency to consider themselves against what is standard or “normal” for the rest of society. When it comes to STI testing, a “standard” STI panel is what is standard for *your* reported sexual behaviors.
Care is customized. The @cdcgovincludes a list of STI screening recommendations and considerations for providers in its STI Treatment Guidelines (you can find this available online!). Providers select tests based from reported behaviors for certain infections and populations. (CDC, 2022).
Just because care is customized, doesn’t mean it’s always inclusive. The research used to analyze patients’ “reported behaviors” to determine appropriate STI tests may not be the most accurate or inclusive. Some of this is because research of certain populations is too small or non-existent. Or, of existing bodies of research, the lack of research of certain populations is simply accepted as “the way it is.”
Available STI testing is not always accessible testing. LGBTQ+ folks and people of color experience additional barriers to care. In addition to stigmas surrounding STI testing, if someone does not feel safe or supported by their provider, they may withhold disclosure of their sexual behaviors or avoid doctors altogether. Thus, they may not receive the care they need and deserve when it comes to their sexual health.
While this custom model of self-reporting seems to be the best or most accurate for determining appropriate STI tests at first glance, it begs the question, “best for who?”
This model relies on patients’ safety and existing bodies of research—both of which serve a population of privilege.