Although there are several home STD testing kits available online, many people still opt to go to urgent care facilities, also known as walk in health clinics, to undergo the STD testing process. Remarkably, there are over 20 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases reported every year in America, and many go undiagnosed. Experts recommend that sexually active individuals get tested regularly to screen for sexually transmitted diseases.
Home STD testing continues to be a viable option, but some users report that they feel more confident with results to STD tests that are performed under the supervision of a health care professional. There are over 9,000 urgent care facilities across the United States, and many of them offer confidential STD testing for men and women.
Most urgent care walk in clinics report wait times of 15 minutes or less, and about two out of three facilities have a doctor on the premises during all their hours of operation. Patients often choose walk in health clinics because of a lower per-visit cost and because of the hours of operation: many urgent care clinics operate later at night and earlier in the morning than doctors’ offices.
STD testing procedures usually involve the extraction of blood from the patient’s arm. The blood is then put through a centrifuge to separate its components and sent to a laboratory for further testing. Patients should expect to hear back from their walk in health clinic in 10 days to two weeks, and may be required to appear in person to collect their results.
Since some sexually transmitted diseases can be asymptomatic, or symptom-free, regular testing is recommended for sexually active individuals. Home STD testing is also an option (saliva is collected instead of blood), but many people choose to visit walk in clinics for their STD testing needs. Some clinics offer anonymous testing; in every case, patient confidentiality is strictly maintained. The patient who receives the STD tests is the only person who can obtain the results.
