Patient-delivered partner therapy

Untreated partners contribute to the high rates of reinfection among individuals with curable sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Reduction of reinfections and additional transmissions might be achieved by index patients delivering antibiotics to their partners. This is known as patient delivered partner therapy (PDPT) or expedited partner therapy (EPT). PDPT/EPT shifts services usually provided by healthcare professionals to patients themselves. Several studies have demonstrated various forms of PDPT/EPT to be effective for improving partner treatment for gonorrhoea and chlamydia. The authors evaluated instructional and packaging materials for PDPT in patients attending an urban STI clinic in the USA. They identified that participants were unfamiliar with the vocabulary surrounding STI treatment and showed some variability in definitions of sex partners. The PDPT information material differentially affected participants’ willingness to receive (positively) and deliver (negatively) PDPT, and were perceived as easy to use. The authors conclude that high quality information and packaging materials may increase the likelihood of this intervention being …