Evaluation of knowledge and utility of the 2014 Australian sexually transmissible infection and HIV testing guidelines for asymptomatic men who have sex with men among general practitioners in Sydney.

The Australian sexually transmissible infection and HIV testing guidelines for asymptomatic men who have sex with men were updated in 2014. An evaluation study targeting Sydney-based general practitioners was conducted among 85 clinicians. Respondents with knowledge of guideline recommendations were significantly more likely to feel comfortable asking men who have sex with men about their sexual history (98.1% vs 81.3%, P=0.039), and to recommend at least annual testing (94.0% vs 68.8%, P=0.015), 3-month retesting after chlamydia or gonorrhoea treatment (96.2% vs 73.3%, P=0.017) and syphilis testing with routine HIV monitoring bloods (90.2% vs 57.1%, P=0.037). Familiarity with the guidelines was associated with a range of positive outcomes on general practitioners' clinical practice. Novel approaches are required to ensure more widespread distribution of future guidelines.