When Checking Your In-Box Means Checking Your Box, Literally

If you received an e-mail stating that you needed to get checked for STIs (sexually transmitted infections) because someone you slept with in the past has been diagnosed, would you disregard it as spam or a practical, malicious joke, or would you hightail it to the nearest clinic? According to this article, the public health website, Inspot.org, enables those diagnosed with STIs to send e-mails to former sex partners in various cities. E-mails can be sent anonymously, hence my question. Given the level of denial and grief I deal with when notifying patients by phone that they have an STI, I wonder if e-mail recipients from anonymous senders would take the message seriously. I also think there’s a high likelihood that the site will be abused by jilted lovers and pranksters, even though its FAQ section expressly discourages insincere behavior.

This seems like a novel approach to notifying people of their possible exposure that may prove worthwhile. The site will even forward local health resource information along with the “you-may-have-been-exposed” message. I’m all for embracing technology when it’s used to truly empower people, giving them relevant health information in a clear and concise manner, along with cost-effective resources to address the issues.

Still, I think e-mail is a pretty impersonal venue for telling someone you may have exposed them to an STI, clearly if it’s sent anonymously. Yes, maybe the exposure occurred during a hook-up or one night stand, but I think you still owe that person an honest and overt conversation. It’s a simple issue of respect. At least, that’s what I hear in the tearful conversations I have with patients about their STI status. Of course, if we’re talking about a single encounter, you may not have any way of contacting the person other than by e-mail address, which you can often find with a quick Google Search. And, there’s always the issue of outreach to those who do not have access to the internet or telephone service—the working poor, homeless, and prison populations—that will require additional funding and innovative, community-based efforts to promote sexual health.

In the meantime, I’m curious to see whether this mode of notification takes off. Who knows? Given the current obsession with texting, maybe we can just bypass email altogether. I bet receiving “U got the clap! TTYL!” in their inboxes will distract some people for at least a moment or two, hopefully long enough to get them to contact their physician or clinic ASAP.