Recommendations for developing asynchronous online consultations for chlamydia treatment for underserved populations : a Behaviour Change Wheel analysis

Tools

Estcourt, Claudia S. and McLeod, Julie and Flowers, Paul and MacDonald, Jennifer and Mapp, Fiona and Saunders, John and Woode Owusu, Melvina and McInnes-Dean, Amelia and Márquez, Nuria Gallego and Blandford, Ann and Sonnenberg, Pam and Gibbs, Jo (2026) Recommendations for developing asynchronous online consultations for chlamydia treatment for underserved populations : a Behaviour Change Wheel analysis. Sexually Transmitted Infections. ISSN 1368-4973 (https://doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-2025-056677)

[thumbnail of Estcourt-etal-STI-2026-developing-asynchronous-online-consultations-for-chlamydia-treatment]
Preview
 Text. Filename: Estcourt-etal-STI-2026-developing-asynchronous-online-consultations-for-chlamydia-treatment.pdf
Final Published Version
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 logo
Download (630kB)| Preview

Abstract

Introduction: People from underserved groups experience disproportionately poor sexual health and challenges accessing care. Asynchronous online consultations (a user completes a health questionnaire online, which is reviewed by a clinician) are being used within sexual healthcare to prescribe chlamydia treatment. Users require sufficient health and digital literacy to access online services and use them safely. Methods: We used the PROGRESS-Plus (PROGRESS: Place of Residence, Race/Ethnicity, Occupation, Gender/Sex, Religion, Education, Socio-economic Status, Social Network; Plus: e.g., Age, Sexual Orientation, Disability) framework to guide purposive recruitment of 35 participants from diverse underserved groups, from community settings and sexual health services in contrasting areas of the UK (15 October 2021–18 March 2022). We conducted qualitative semistructured interviews and thematic analyses to derive key barriers and facilitators to using asynchronous online consultations. We applied the Behaviour Change Wheel to specify recommendations to address them. Results: Over half of participants were from the most deprived areas and 40% were from minoritised ethnic groups. Key barriers included: lack of familiarity with online healthcare; perceived need to see a healthcare professional in person; privacy concerns; concerns about difficulty interpreting the questions; discomfort answering personal questions online. Key facilitators included: familiarity with online consultations; perceived low sexually transmitted infection risk; perceived increase in convenience, control and privacy; simple wording and design; and support while completing them. Recommendations included: increasing awareness and familiarity by promoting them offline and online and providing demonstrations and instructions on how to use them; encouraging people to choose them by highlighting available support, equivalence to in-person consultations and privacy and convenience; and reducing attrition by using simple wording and design, providing additional explanations and offering audio and visual alternatives to text. Conclusions: Incorporating these evidence-based, theoretically informed recommendations could widen access to underserved groups and increase the usability and safety of asynchronous online consultations for chlamydia treatment. Recommendations are likely to benefit all users and could be of use across health more broadly.

ORCID iDs

Estcourt, Claudia S., McLeod, Julie, Flowers, Paul ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6239-5616, MacDonald, Jennifer, Mapp, Fiona, Saunders, John, Woode Owusu, Melvina, McInnes-Dean, Amelia, Márquez, Nuria Gallego, Blandford, Ann, Sonnenberg, Pam and Gibbs, Jo;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)