Medicine

Ethan T Cardwell, Lauren Ware, Christopher K. Fairley, A. Bickerstaffe, Danny Hancock, Rashidur Rahman, F. Y. Kong, Jason J. Ong, Jane Tomnay, Shanton Chang, Megan S. C. Lim, J. Hocking, T. Ludwick

2026.6.22npj Digital Medicine

DOI: 10.1038/s41746-026-02896-9

Abstract

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are continuing to rise in high-income countries, particularly among young adults. Increasing access to timely STI/HIV testing and treatment is key to reducing transmission. Web-accessed STI testing services have emerged as a pragmatic solution to improving access and uptake. However, these web-accessed alternatives do not always provide equivalent quality to in-person services. The scientific body of evidence around their development is limited and often not reported in detail, offering little guidance about design best practice. Translating a traditionally in-person service to a web-accessed one is a complex process that requires input from multiple stakeholders, including end users, clinical experts, and software developers, to support user acceptability, clinical safety, and technical feasibility. This manuscript outlines the evidence-based approach for establishing the clinical pathway for Test it, a statewide, publicly funded, web-accessed STI testing service targeting 16- to 29-year-olds in Victoria, Australia. We present the ten steps of the web-accessed clinical pathway and describe the iterative consultation and problem-solving process used to define them.

Citation format

CARDWELL, Ethan T, et al. Co-creating the clinical pathway for test it, a web-accessed sexually transmitted infections testing service. npj Digital Medicine, 2026.