ITSready launches as the first project in Catalonia and Spain to integrate digital tools to improve STI prevention, early diagnosis and awareness among young people

Funded by La Marató de 3Cat, the project offers free self-sampling kits to detect HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhoea from home, an anonymous partner notification tool and a chatbot providing validated information on sexual health.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to represent a major public health challenge. In recent years, Catalonia has recorded a sustained increase in diagnoses, particularly among young people, highlighting the need to develop new strategies for prevention, early diagnosis and sexual health promotion that are tailored to their habits and needs.

In this context, ITSready has been launched as a pioneering research and innovation project in Catalonia and Spain, introducing three digital tools designed to improve knowledge about STIs and facilitate access to diagnosis for young people aged 16 to 25 across Catalonia:

• Testa't Jove, a platform that allows young people to request a free self-sampling kit to detect HIV, chlamydia (Chlamydia trachomatis) and gonorrhoea (Neisseria gonorrhoeae) from home.
• Notifica, a tool that enables users to anonymously notify sexual partners of a possible exposure to an STI.
• Informa't, a chatbot providing reliable, validated information on sexuality and STIs.

The project is funded by La Marató de 3Cat and jointly led by the Centre for Epidemiological Studies on HIV/AIDS and STI of Catalonia (CEEISCAT) -a research group within the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP)- and affiliated with the Public Health Secretariat of the Catalan Department of Health- together with the Fight Infections Foundation (FLI), the Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona (ASPB) and the Centre Jove d'Atenció a les Sexualitats (CJAS). The project also involves the Microbiology Department at the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital.

ITSready incorporates a gender perspective and sexual diversity throughout all stages of the project, from the design of the tools to their evaluation, with the aim of reducing inequalities and providing resources adapted to the diversity of the young population.

"With ITSready, we want to bring diagnosis and information closer to the digital spaces that are already part of young people's everyday lives by offering accessible, confidential tools based on scientific evidence", explains Cristina Agustí, principal investigator of the project and epidemiologist at CEEISCAT-IGTP.

Three tools to bring sexual health closer to young people 

Testa't Jove

Testa't Jove allows users to request a free self-sampling kit tailored to their sexual practices. Participants receive the kit at home or at a collection point, send the samples to the reference laboratory and access their results confidentially through the platform.

Notifica

Notifica enables users to anonymously inform their sexual partners of a possible exposure to an STI following a positive diagnosis, encouraging early diagnosis and helping to interrupt transmission chains.

"Chlamydia and gonorrhoea are infections that, in many cases, do not cause symptoms. As a result, many people do not know they have them and may unknowingly pass them on. Facilitating early diagnosis and partner notification is essential to interrupt transmission chains, prevent complications and protect sexual health", explains Lucía Bailón, researcher at the Fight Infections Foundation.

Informa't

Informa't is a chatbot that provides reliable, validated information on sexuality, STIs and prevention using language adapted to the needs of young people.

"More and more young people are searching for information about sexuality and STIs online or through artificial intelligence tools. With Informa't, we want to ensure that this information is rigorous, up to date and validated by healthcare professionals, because making informed decisions is also a form of prevention", explains Cristina Rius, head of the Epidemiology Department at the Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona.

"Even today, talking about STIs continues to generate shame, guilt and fear. If we want to guarantee young people's sexual rights, we need to bring services to where they already are, with accessible, confidential and non-judgemental tools", highlights Jordi Baroja, director of the Centre Jove d'Atenció a les Sexualitats.

Testa't Jove aims to distribute 1,500 self-sampling kits

The project aims to distribute 1,500 free self-sampling kits to young people aged 16 to 25 living in Catalonia.

The first data collected during the pilot phase already point to the potential of this model to reach people who would not normally access conventional diagnostic services. Almost half of the participants (41.9%) had never previously been tested for an STI, highlighting the ability of this type of intervention to reduce barriers to screening.

El projecte preveu distribuir 1.500 kits gratuïts d'automostra entre persones joves d'entre 16 i 25 anys residents a Catalunya.

Generating evidence to transform sexual health

Beyond the development of new digital tools, ITSready is a public health project that aims to generate scientific evidence on the feasibility, acceptability and impact of these interventions for the prevention and early diagnosis of STIs and HIV among young people.

Its objective is to contribute to the development of innovative models that complement existing sexual health services, help reduce the stigma associated with STIs and provide more equitable access to diagnosis and information.

If the results confirm its effectiveness, ITSready could become a reference model for expanding this type of digital intervention to other regions and population groups.

More information

Further information about the ITSready project and the available resources can be found at: https://itsready.cat/