The Importance of Eliciting Risk Factors for STIs in the Emergency Department

If a patient has signs or symptoms that are consistent with a possible STI, we would want to undergo specific testing. We're not very good at estimating who does or does not have an infection. In cases where it's potentially a possibility based on the patient's symptoms or complaints, it's reasonable to test. Of course, if a patient's pregnant, that's almost a no-brainer because those patients all need to be tested.