Supplementary MaterialsAdditional document 1. and treatment is crucial to boost syphilis control. Nevertheless, syphilis examining rates stay low among MSM, especially in low- and middle-income countries. We explain the protocol for the randomised managed trial (RCT) to assess whether provision of syphilis self-testing providers can raise the uptake of syphilis examining among MSM in China. Strategies 500 forty-four high-risk MSM will end up being recruited on the web and randomized within a 1:1:1 proportion to (1) regular syphilis self-testing arm; (2) a self-testing arm plan improved with crowdsourcing and a lottery-based motivation, and (3) a typical of treatment (control). Self-testing providers include a free of charge syphilis self-test DTP3 package through the mail at regular monthly intervals. Participants in the lottery incentive arm will additionally receive health promotion materials generated from an open crowdsourcing contest and be given a lottery attract having a 10% opportunity to win 100 RMB (approximately 15 US Dollars) upon confirmed completion of syphilis screening. Syphilis self-test packages have step-by-step instructions and an instructional video. This is a non-blinded, open-label, parallel RCT. Participants in each arm will become followed-up at three and DTP3 6 months through WeChat (a social networking app like Facebook messenger). Confirmation of syphilis self-test use will be determined by requiring participants to submit a photo of the used test kit to study staff via secure data messaging. Both self-testing and facility-based screening will become ascertained by sending a secure photographic image of the completed kit through an existing digital platform. The primary end result is the proportion of participants who tested for syphilis in the past 3 months. Conversation Findings from this study will provide much needed insight on the effect of syphilis self-testing on advertising routine syphilis screening among MSM. The findings will also contribute to our understanding of the security, performance and acceptability of syphilis self-testing. These findings will have important implications for self-testing policy, both in China and internationally. Trial sign up ChiCTR1900022409 (10 April, 2019). strong class=”kwd-title” Keywords: Syphilis, HIV, Screening, Self-test, MSM Background Males who have sex with males (MSM) are disproportionately affected by syphilis worldwide. The WHO estimations the prevalence of syphilis among MSM is definitely 5% or more in at least 42 countries (15 countries in Asia including China having a prevalence of 5.1%), 10% or more in 20 countries (6 countries in Central America and 5 countries in South America) and more than 20% in eight countries including 3 Pacific Island countries and 2 South American countries [1]. Expanding access to syphilis screening so that individuals receive a timely analysis and treatment, plays a key part in the control of syphilis transmission [2]. Evidence demonstrates for males who are HIV positive and/or MSM, screening every three months (weighed against screening process every six or a year) is connected with elevated detection prices at various levels of syphilis an infection [3C7]. Boosts in syphilis testing frequency are connected with elevated recognition of early asymptomatic syphilis with comparative falls in supplementary syphilis for both HIV-positive and HIV-negative MSM in Australia, recommending a feasible interruption of syphilis development [8]. However, provided the expense of the lab tests, anticipated stigma, as well as the facilities requirements, syphilis examining prices are low generally, in resource-limited settings especially. Previous research implies that just 30% of Chinese language MSM possess ever examined for syphilis [9]. Whilst traditional examining for syphilis is normally health facility-based, latest advances in examining techniques, MRK including dried out blood areas, point-of-care examining, and self-testing, possess enabled decentralized examining strategies [10]. Among these enhancements, self-testing offers an excellent potential to broaden syphilis examining among hard-to-reach populations because of its comfort, confidentiality, and high awareness and specificity [11 fairly, 12]. Proof from HIV self-testing research have showed its efficiency in raising HIV examining regularity among MSM in a number of settings [13C15]. Because of this, WHO released suggestions recommending HIV self-testing [16] subsequently. Though not really however accepted by the China Medication and Meals Administration, DTP3 syphilis self-test sets are for sale to buy in China presently, mainly through trusted online retailers (https://www.stdrapidtestkits.com/). In 2018, we executed a countrywide Internet survey.