Current status of laboratory detection of sexually transmitted diseases in Zhejiang

Objective To understand the current status of the diagnosis and treatment, surveillance and laboratory detection of sexual transmitted diseases (STDs) in Zhejaing province. Methods Questionnaire survey and field interview were conducted in 80 medical institutes in Zhejiang to evaluate their abilities and performances of STD detection. Results Among the laboratory workers engaged in STD detection in general hospitals, maternal/child care settings and disease control centers, 64.40%, 60.34% and 58.97% had bachelor degree, 50.15%, 55.17% and 46.15% had middle level professional title, whereas the related proportions in dermatosis hospitals were only 41.67% and 33.33% respectively. The proportion of laboratory workers receiving STD detection training was highest in disease control centers (66.67%). The general hospitals and disease control centers were better equipped with STD detection instruments, followed by the maternal/child care settings and dermatosis hospitals. The general hospitals conducted more items of STD detection, followed by the dermatosis hospitals and maternal/child care settings, the disease control centers conducted less items of STD detection. Conclusion It is necessary to conduct standardized laboratory management and quality control, improve laboratory detection capacity to insure the STD diagnosis and treatment quality and the case reporting accuracy.