STD Triage Reports Sexual Health Trends from App Data

The YTH (Youth Tech Health) Conference continues in San Francisco today. Meanwhile going on now is sexually transmitted disease awareness month recognized by the CDC. In light of both happenings, STD Triage released a sexual health trends report based on statistics from its application.

STD Triage is a mobile and web app that lets concerned patients anonymously submit a photo of their intimate health issue for assessment by a licensed physician. For a fee, the doctor replies with a recommendation within 24 hours. Often doctors are able to see from a photo that there is nothing for patients to worry about, and the response instantly quells anxieties.

However, 20 million new cases of STDs do occur every year, according to the CDC. It’s important that diseases and infections are treated appropriately, and in many cases STD Triage doctors recommend that users follow up with an in-person physician visit.

The STD Triage trends report looks at numbers from the past month. It found that 73% of submissions came from men. Their range in age was 14-57, and their average age was 25 years. Queries from both men and women came from a host of different countries including Australia, Sweden, Holland, Germany, USA, Canada, United Emirates, Senegal, Egypt, France, UK, Spain, Italy and Brazil.

Nearly 70% of users received recommendations for self-treatment, for example with a topical over the counter ointment. Doctors suggested for 25% of the cases that the user visit an STD clinic. Patients were most commonly recommended to do this for cases of possible herpes. Click for an infographic that includes the rest of the stats.

“The app is a middle ground between a Google search and a trip to the doctor,” said Dr. Alexander Börve, CEO of iDoc24, which produces STD Triage. For instance, when a patient notices that something is wrong, the first thing he does is consult Google. He’ll get back dozens of results, and often he’ll self-diagnose himself as having the most serious condition.

The goal of iDoc24 is to use expert knowledge to narrow down the list of possibilities, and when appropriate, assure the patient that the symptom isn’t as serious as they might think. In cases where a doctor’s visit is recommended, patients can at least walk in with an idea of what to expect.