RTP, NC - Sept. 8, 2006

ASHA Announces Herpes Education and Counseling Study

Busy health care providers often find it a daunting task to counsel patients who are newly diagnosed with genital herpes – lack of comfort with the subject can be one barrier; another is the difficulty providers have in handling myriad questions and making sure patients process the information in the limited time available.

ASHA is launching a study to evaluate a simplified approach designed for physicians to help patients cope more efficiently with the numerous emotional and medical questions that inevitably arise with herpes.

Doctors who typically diagnose at least five cases of genital herpes a month will be provided with FAQ checklists of core herpes education messages, along with instructions on how best to counsel their patients. The doctors will be surveyed both before and after using the checklists to evaluate how effectively the intervention helped them discuss herpes with newly diagnosed patients. Patients – both those who were counseled using the checklist and those who weren't – will also be surveyed to see how satisfied they are with the discussion offered by their doctors, and responses from the two groups will be compared. Patients will be surveyed within three months time to assess the resource and referrals used to adjust to the diagnosis. Results from this research will be available in early 2007.