Development of an Implementation Strategy Plan to Improve Care for Pediatric Emergency Department Patients With a Possible Sexually Transmitted Infection

OBJECTIVES: Despite the existence of evidence-based guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, studies have demonstrated the need for improvement in the evaluation and treatment of adolescents and young adults with a possible sexually transmitted infection (STI) presenting for care in pediatric emergency departments (PEDs) and general emergency departments (EDs) in the United States. We created an implementation strategy plan for our PED designed to improve STI care for patients. METHODS: Using the Tailored Implementation in Chronic Diseases (TICD) determinants framework, we identified, prioritized, and investigated determinants of implementation success of our initiative. We then conducted stakeholder interviews to refine and design an implementation strategy plan that addressed identified barriers and facilitators. RESULTS: The resulting implementation strategy included: (1) a standardized STI care protocol; (2) electronic health record (EHR) enhancements, including smart phrases and tailored order sets; (3) staff training materials and academic detailing sessions for physicians and nurses; (4) an adolescent-friendly discharge instruction handout; (5) an EHR-based referral system to an adolescent health clinic; (6) visual aids to support accurate STI sample collection' and (7) an evaluation plan to assess protocol uptake, documentation quality, treatment accuracy, and follow-up linkage. CONCLUSIONS: This TICD-informed, stakeholder-driven approach may serve as a model for EDs aiming to enhance STI care delivery for adolescent and young adult patients.