Jean Hailes’ 7-minute survey for health professionals
The RACGP invites members to participate in Jean Hailes’ ‘7-minute survey for health professionals’ to help shape their professional development programs on women’s health.
Jean Hailes for Women’s Health is an organisation that provides information, knowledge and clinical care to assist women manage their health and wellbeing.
The short survey covers needs and preferences for the continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities and resources that Jean Hailes provides.
If you are working in rural, regional or remote Australia, you can provide valuable insight to assess gaps in women’s health in these areas.
Visit the Jean Hailes website to take part in the survey.
Clinical Pearl: Ordering herpes serology tests
Genital herpes is estimated to affect one in eight Australians and is frequently asymptomatic.
Serological tests for herpes simplex virus (HSV) are widely available but have many limitations – they have poor positive predictive value, they do not identify the anatomical site of infection (oral or genital), and they do not predict transmission risk.
Serological tests for herpes are therefore not recommended for screening asymptomatic patients, and similarly have limited utility as a diagnostic test.
However, selective use may be justified for particular groups. These include:
- patients at high risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
- HIV-positive patients
- patients with sexual partners who have genital herpes
- patients with recurrent or atypical genital symptoms with negative HSV Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) or culture
- women who have an apparent first episode of genital herpes during pregnancy.
Evidence supporting this Australasian Chapter of Sexual Health Medicine Choosing Wisely recommendation.