Nursing care of clients with sexually transmitted infections

Infections transmitted by vaginal, oral and anal intimate contact and intercourse are referred to as sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Infections transmitted by sexual intercourse are also sometimes labelled as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or venereal diseases, but the correct term is now STIs. A person can have an STI, sexually transmitted infection, before having symptoms of the disease STD. STIs also include systemic diseases (such as tuberculosis, hepatitis and HIV/AIDS) that can be transmitted from an infected person to a partner. This chapter discusses STIs that involve the urogenital system, as well as vaginal infections.