Rhoads, Kelley E.Afradeh, Mahtasadat2024-05-152024-05-152023-12https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14446/344260Introduction. the global and local prevalence of syphilis, noting a resurgence in recent years, particularly in the United States and Oklahoma. Despite established treatment methods, there is a rise in reported cases, emphasizing the need for effective screening. Healthcare providers play a crucial role in initiating discussions about sexual health, and encouraging their patients to get a syphilis test. Due to this, studying healthcare professionals' approaches to sexual health discussions and identify barriers at various levels affecting syphilis screening, help to address this public health issue. Purpose. The study aims to comprehend healthcare professionals' strategies in discussing sexual health with patients and identify barriers at individual, practice, and healthcare system levels that influence syphilis screening. Method. The study employed a semi-structured interview in three rural Oklahoma communities. Ten participants, primarily women and White, were interviewed, with ages ranging from 30 to 64 and varied professional backgrounds. Recruitment utilized diverse channels, and data collection occurred through one-on-one interviews conducted via phone or video conference. Interviews were guided by an interview guide, audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using salient belief elicitation methods. Themes were identified, refined, and organized, forming the basis for the analysis. Result. In the realm of sexual health communication, healthcare professionals deploy various strategies, such as responding to patient-initiated conversations, addressing symptoms, discussing STI testing, normalizing sexual healthcare, creating a comfortable setting, identifying risk behaviors, and delivering health education. Barriers to syphilis screening were explored at three levels: patient/client-oriented (e.g. fear of judgment and stigma, financial challenges, lack of awareness,…), practice or clinic-oriented (e.g. appointment scheduling issues, complex test ordering processes, staff shortages, and healthcare provider hesitancy), and healthcare system-oriented (e.g. financial and insurance barriers and the full restoration of services). Conclusion. This study illuminated the diverse strategies utilized by healthcare professionals to initiate conversations about sexual health and provided a detailed understanding of the challenges faced by rural residents in obtaining syphilis screening from the healthcare providers perspective. Given the ongoing prevalence of syphilis, integrating the insights gained from this study into public health practice is crucial.application/pdfCopyright is held by the author who has granted the Oklahoma State University Library the non-exclusive right to share this material in its institutional repository. Contact Digital Library Services at lib-dls@okstate.edu or 405-744-9161 for the permission policy on the use, reproduction or distribution of this material.Thesishealthcare providers' perspectivesexual health discussionsyphilissyphilis screening barriers