433. Implementation of an Emergency Department Syphilis Screening Program

BACKGROUND: Syphilis incidence across all regions of California increased by 22% compared with 2016 cases; with the largest number of chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and congenital syphilis cases among all states (CDC 2017). The USPSTF recommends targeted syphilis screening in patients at increased risk. However, in emergency departments (EDs) targeted syphilis screening is not routinely performed even when patients present for concerns of a sexually transmitted infection (STI). The purpose of this program was to implement routine syphilis screening among ED patients being tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea (CT/GC) through the use of an EHR enhancement to maximize the number of new syphilis diagnoses. METHODS: From November 27, 2018 to March 31, 2019, EHR-based syphilis screening was implemented in a quaternary care ED in Northern California serving urban and rural populations. EMR best practice alerts (BPA) were developed and populated on patients receiving STI testing. Syphilis testing employed a reverse sequence algorithm, which is suggested for high prevalence settings and provides rapid turnaround time. Patients were excluded if they opted out from testing. We determined the proportion of all CT/GC tested patients who underwent syphilis screening and the prevalence of syphilis among this group. RESULTS: During a four-month period, 649 ED patients with suspected STI received a BPA to screen for syphilis. Of those, 425 patients (65.5%) were screened for syphilis, 22 had a reactive IgG/IgM and RPR, while 5 patients had a reactive IgG/IgM and a nonreactive RPR which required a TPPA test to detect their infection. Fourteen of the 22 patients with a reactive RPR had titers of 1:32 or higher. Nine (32%) of those with a positive CT/GC test tested positive for syphilis. CONCLUSION: Implementation of a syphilis screening program in patients undergoing testing for other STIs yielded 28 new diagnoses compared with those tested prior to the screening in 2018. Introducing an automated EMR-based syphilis screening program is an effective method to maximize syphilis screening in all ED patients seeking treatment for STIs. The screening data suggest that the majority of patients undergoing STI testing in our ED are not screened for syphilis, yet the prevalence of infection in those screened is substantial. DISCLOSURES: All authors: No reported disclosures.