Introducing technology into the public STD clinic

Review of the literature on public health services shows that virtually no information is available on how the state-supported networks of STD clinics now function, what the possibilities are for achieving efficiency in service delivery, or the implications of local, state, and federal funding and staffing changes. This article describes models of STD services now offered and thus allows one to project impending changes in the public health STD clinic system. The description includes a brief recount of how the imposition of HIV testing and counseling has taxed clinic resources and has sharpned the need for more efficient, technology-supported management. The status of federal staff is also summarized, with consideration of how decreases in staff will affect partner notification, the cornerstone of traditional STD-clinic-based services. Data on clinic function and staffing trends frame suggestions for the placement of computer technology in the system.