Frequently Asked Questions - STI screening

Biron now offers its patients STI screening without a prescription.

To qualify, patients must meet specific criteria, including being asymptomatic and 14 years of age or older. If you wish to obtain this service, you must complete a risk factor assessment questionnaire on the Biron website to confirm your eligibility.

This questionnaire is anonymous and available free of charge online on the Biron website.

If you would like to be accompanied in completing the questionnaire, you can request a virtual consultation with the nursing staff, for a fee of $49.

In general, STI screening without a prescription is only available to asymptomatic individuals 14 years of age and older. There are also other criteria that must be met in order to access this service.

To find out if you are eligible for this service, simply complete the risk factor assessment questionnaire.

For now, the Public Health Act and our professional resources only allow us to offer this service to asymptomatic people.

However, we can screen symptomatic people if they first obtain a prescription from a doctor.

If you have or think you have STI symptoms, we recommend that you consult a doctor as soon as possible. If your family doctor is not available, ask for an appointment with another doctor at your medical clinic. If you do not have a family doctor, here are your options:

• Consult the digital Primary care access point (GAP)
• Book an appointment on the Quebec Medical Appointment Scheduler website
• Call Info-Santé (811). A nurse will tell you where you can get an appointment.
• If this is an option for you, consult a Biron partner doctor. There is a fee for the consultation (starting at $155). For more information or to book an appointment, you can call 1-855-522-4766.

Yes, but only if you qualify for STI screening without a prescription. To find out if you are eligible for the service, you must complete the risk factor assessment questionnaire, which is available free of charge online at the Biron website.

No. The prescription for our no-prescription screening service is included in the service provided by Biron. In other words, we will not issue you a paper or digital prescription that you can use at another clinic or in the public network. Since the person issuing the prescription has an obligation to ensure the patient's medical follow-up, we cannot issue a prescription that would require our nursing staff to perform follow-up on behalf of another employer or the public health network.

If you wish to have your samplings taken elsewhere than at Biron, you must consult a healthcare professional authorized to prescribe laboratory analyses.

It will be a member of the nursing staff, as authorized by the Public Health Act.

The nursing staff is specifically trained to provide this service and the support that goes with it.

Depending on the number of tests performed, the cost ranges from $75 to $372. The price of your tests includes a $25 charge for the fees of the nursing staff responsible for issuing the medical prescription. These fees may be covered by your private insurance.

Biron offers private laboratory analysis services. The cost of the analyses is not covered by the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) but may be fully or partially covered by your private insurance.

However, each insurer has its own reimbursement policies. Some reimburse medical services prescribed by the nursing staff, others do not. It is your responsibility to check with your insurer beforehand.

Your screening test results will be communicated to you within 24 hours. In certain exceptional cases, the deadline for issuing results may be extended. If this is the case, you will be notified by our clinical staff.

You can complete the risk factor assessment questionnaire and receive your screening recommendations completely anonymously.

If you decide to book an appointment at Biron for your screening test, we will ask you for some personal information such as your name and e-mail address so that we can schedule an appointment and send you the results of your screening.

You should also know that your answers to the risk factor assessment questionnaire will be available to the clinical staff specialized in sexual health in charge of your file. The service centre staff present at the time of your sampling will not have access to your risk factor assessment responses.

If your test is positive for an STI:

• your record will be shared with the health care provider who will manage you for treatment and follow-up only;
• If you test positive for an STI listed as a "reportable disease", your positive result and certain information must be legally reported to public health authorities. Any medical laboratory that detects the presence of a "reportable disease" must declare it to public health authorities. To learn more about “reportable diseases”, click here.

The STIs listed as notifiable diseases are: Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B and C.

The use and retention of your information is subject to our privacy policy: https://www.biron.com/en/privacypolicy/

To book an appointment for a screening without a prescription at Biron, you must complete our risk factor assessment questionnaire. This preliminary step is necessary to ensure that you are eligible for the service.

To do so, go to our website biron.com/std-sti, and click on the "START THE SCREENING" button to begin the questionnaire to evaluate your risk factors. This questionnaire is anonymous and free. Please allow 5 to 10 minutes to complete it.

It is also possible to book a virtual consultation with a member of the nursing staff who will complete the risk assessment questionnaire. A fee of $49 applies.

After completing the online questionnaire, you will have three options:

1. Book an appointment online;
2. Ask to receive the screening recommendations by email to give you time to think about booking an appointment at Biron at a later date. In the email sent to you, you will find a link that will allow you to book an appointment. Please note that this link will be valid for 72 hours, after which time you will need to reassess your risk factors before making an appointment;
3. Book a virtual consultation with a nursing staff member (fee of $49) to discuss your situation before booking an appointment. Following the virtual consultation, the nursing staff will be able to schedule an appointment for you.

Before booking an appointment, you will need to agree to Biron's terms and conditions.

We screen for the most common STIs:

• Chlamydia*
• Gonorrhea*
• Hepatitis C
• Hepatitis B
• Syphilis
• HIV

*Please note that Biron uses the PCR or NAAT technique, which allows the simultaneous detection of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea from the same specimen. Therefore, if you need to be tested for Chlamydia or Gonorrhea, you will receive results for both STDs.

By answering the risk factor evaluation questionnaire available free of charge online on the Biron website, we will be able to identify the tests that are recommended in your case.

The questions on our form are taken from the Guide québécois de dépistage des infections transmissibles sexuellement et par le sang. This guide is published by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux and is a reference tool for health care providers.

No. You are not obliged to take any test; you have the right to refuse. However, you will be asked to sign a waiver releasing Biron from any responsibility for your refusal to undergo one or more recommended screening tests.

You must understand that the tests recommended to you are directly related to the answers you gave in the risk factor assessment questionnaire.

Your decision not to have all the recommended tests may result in:

• An STI you have is not diagnosed;
• You develop complications from an undiagnosed STI;
• You could pass on an STI to your partner(s).

At your appointment, you will be able to discuss the risks you face if you do not get all the recommended tests

Yes, this is your right, as long as they are STIs which can be tested for without a prescription according to the Public Health Act (Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV).

The cost of your screening will vary depending on the tests you choose.

Currently, for the non-prescription screening service, we screen for the most common STIs: Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV, as permitted by the Public Health Act.

However, other STIs can be tested at Biron with a doctor's prescription.

Some STIs, such as condylomata, are screened by a visual examination performed by a doctor.

No, this is not a service offered as part of the over-the-counter offer.

We encourage you to see a doctor if you think you have contracted the herpes virus or if you think you have symptoms of an STI.

The type of sampling varies from person to person depending on their situation (gender, sexual habits, STIs to be tested and other answers to the questionnaire).

Most often, blood and urine specimens are taken, but oral or anal specimens may be recommended depending on your situation.

We can also take specimens from several locations if your situation requires it. The type of sampling recommended will be indicated at the end of the risk factor assessment questionnaire.

The nursing staff does. It's based on the answers you give in the risk factor assessment questionnaire before you book your appointment. The decision is not random. It is based on the Guide québécois de dépistage des infections transmissibles sexuellement et par le sang.

Of course, your consent will be required for the nursing staff to perform the sampling.

Yes, unless you need to be tested through your urine. In this case, you will have to wait until after your period. Your blood loss could contaminate your urine sample and affect your results.

We don't want this to happen and for you to have to retest.

An STI usually takes several days to develop in the body and become detectable. The window period is the period during which, following an exposure, an infection may be present, but not detectable by testing.

The "window period" varies from one STI to another. After this period, testing can detect infection in the majority of infected individuals.

According to the guidelines of the Guide québécois de dépistage des ITSS, a follow-up screening test is recommended at the end of this window period to confirm that your results are still negative.

All results, whether negative or positive, are communicated by password-protected email, with a few exceptions. In this case, the nursing staff will transmit the result either by phone, virtual consultation, or in person.

Biron patients can also take advantage of a secure virtual space "MyBiron" where results can be deposited. You will receive all the necessary instructions to create your account at your appointment. If you are already a Biron patient, your results will be sent to you by the usual method and password.

If you have any questions about MyBiron, the front desk staff at the service centre can answer them. You can also contact our customer service at any time.

Your screening test results will be communicated to you within 24 hours. In certain exceptional cases, the deadline for issuing results may be extended. If this is the case, you will be notified by our clinical staff.

According to the guidelines of the Guide québécois de dépistage des ITSS, it is recommended that you have a follow-up screening test at the end of the window period for an STI to confirm that your results are still negative.

Following a negative result, you can book an appointment for a 10-minute follow-up, by virtual consultation or by telephone, at no extra cost, with a member of the nursing staff who will be able to recommend a more thorough screening.

You will receive your positive result by email, unless it is a positive result for HIV. In this case, the nursing staff will communicate the result to you by phone, virtual consultation or in person, at your convenience.

A follow-up consultation with the nursing staff is mandatory for patients who test positive for an STI. This consultation is included in the price of the test.

Please note that if you test positive for an STI listed as a "reportable disease", your positive result and certain information must be legally reported to public health authorities. Any medical laboratory that detects the presence of a "reportable disease" must declare it to public health authorities. To learn more about “reportable diseases”, click here.

The STIs listed as notifiable diseases are: Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B and C.

The use and retention of your information is subject to our privacy policy: https://www.biron.com/en/privacypolicy/

As a general rule, medical management of Gonorrhea and Chlamydia is provided by Biron's nursing staff.

Other positive cases of STIs are referred to a member of the Biron medical team and medical care is provided within 24 hours of the positive test result. In this case, the management is also included in the cost of the screening and is done by virtual consultation.

Medication and any other therapy related to the treatment of STIs are at the patient's expense or covered by the *Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ).

• It is one of the most common STIs in Quebec.
• Even if a condom is used, transmission remains possible for infected areas such as thighs, buttocks, testicles, etc. In other words, the areas that are not covered by the condom.
• Cervical cancer screening is for all women between the ages of 25 and 65 who have ever had sex. Along with HPV vaccination, screening is the best way to prevent cervical cancer.
• Women between the ages of 21 and 65 should have a cytology every 2 to 3 years.

itss.gouv.qc.ca/virus-du-papillome-humain

Cervical cancer screening

Vaccines are recommended for the prevention of HPV, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B.

Unless otherwise specified, current recommendations indicate that women can receive it up to age 45, and men up to age 26.

Vaccination: Why is it important to get vaccinated?

Condoms greatly reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Learn how to protect your health by practicing safer sex.

• The top worst excuses...
• itss.gouv.qc.ca/how-should-i-protect-myself
• Safer condom use

The use of alcohol or drugs can affect the ability to adopt safe behaviors, especially if this consumption takes place just before or during sexual activity. Sharing drugs or preparation, injection or inhalation equipment is associated with a risk of transmission of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.

The (anonymous) distribution of new injection equipment can help to adopt safer behaviours. There are reduced-risk injection or inhalation practices, modes of consumption other than injection, abstinence.

Drugs: help and referral 1 800 265-2626 (toll-free) | 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

AQPSUD Quebec association for drug user health promotion. 514-904-1241

Quebec suicide prevention line

1-866-277-3553 (toll-free) I 24 hours a day, 7 days a week I aqps.info(available in french only) I suicide.ca

Projet 10 | 514-989-0001 Individual meetings and support for questioning young people. Discussion groups for young people on various themes related to gender identity and sexuality.

AlterHéros | 438-830-4376 Information on sexual health, gender identity and related topics, sexual orientation, support and referral to appropriate services.

Club Sexu (available in french only) A non-profit media outlet specializing in creating stories, games and events to talk about sexuality in a more positive, playful and inclusive way.

Tel-jeunes Free and confidential first-line professional intervention service (phone calls, text messages, email, and chat). 1-800 263-2266 (toll-free) I 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Text messages: 514 600-1002 I 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Chat I 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

LigneParents (available in french only) 1 800 361-5085 (toll-free) | 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Stella: Prevention and intervention organization for women, transvestites and transsexuals practicing sex work.

Including:

• Cisgender and transgender men;
• Men from ethnocultural communities;
• Men who use psychotropic drugs;
• Sex workers.

RÉZO (available in french only) Activities to promote health and prevention of HIV and STIs among men who have sex with men, including information on PEP and PrEP and listing designated resources for these services.

Portail VIH/sida du Québec

1 877 767-8245 (toll-free) I Text messages : 514 400-9301 or 514 523-463

811 is a free, confidential telephone consultation service that is accessible 24/7. Call 811.