New Research: BME groups and STD tests

A recent piece of research has been conducted to help better understand the thoughts and feelings of ethnic minority men who have sex with men in regards to visiting NHS GUM Clinics for STD testing. The research surveyed a large sample of Ethnic Minority men from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Black African and Caribbean, Chinese and other Asian backgrounds and found that they were more likely to be highly anxious and worried about attending a public NHS GUM clinic than a similar sample of white British men. The surveyed group of Ethnic Minorities said that they were worried about someone overhearing their conversations with the GUM clinic reception staff, that they were unhappy sitting in a public waiting area and that they were also worried that others from their community would find out that they were having sex with other men.

The conclusion of the research was that GUM clinics need to be aware of these raised concerns. At Better2Know our clinics are private and because your appointment is pre booked with our staff there is no need for any sensitive conversations with the reception staff. The Better2Know service offers complete confidentiality and anonymity meaning you don’t have to use your real name and there is no record kept of your visit. We will never share any details about your tests with anyone without your specific agreement. Better2Know provides an excellent alternative to the NHS GUM clinics which removes all the concerns highlighted by the research and makes for an entirely private, fast and high quality STI testing experience.