TY - JOUR T1 - Going beyond ‘regular and casual’: development of a classification of sexual partner types to enhance partner notification for STIs JF - Sexually Transmitted Infections JO - Sex Transm Infect DO - 10.1136/sextrans-2020-054846 SP - sextrans-2020-054846 AU - Claudia S Estcourt AU - Paul Flowers AU - Jackie A Cassell AU - Maria Pothoulaki AU - Gabriele Vojt AU - Fiona Mapp AU - Melvina Woode-Owusu AU - Nicola Low AU - John Saunders AU - Merle Symonds AU - Alison Howarth AU - Sonali Wayal AU - Rak Nandwani AU - Susie Brice AU - Alex Comer AU - Anne M Johnson AU - Catherine H Mercer Y1 - 2021/04/29 UR - http://sti.bmj.com/content/early/2021/04/28/sextrans-2020-054846.abstract N2 - Objectives To develop a classification of sexual partner types for use in partner notification (PN) for STIs.Methods A four-step process: (1) an iterative synthesis of five sources of evidence: scoping review of social and health sciences literature on partner types; analysis of relationship types in dating apps; systematic review of PN intervention content; and review of PN guidelines; qualitative interviews with public, patients and health professionals to generate an initial comprehensive classification; (2) multidisciplinary clinical expert consultation to revise the classification; (3) piloting of the revised classification in sexual health clinics during a randomised controlled trial of PN; (4) application of the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to identify index patients’ willingness to engage in PN for each partner type.Results Five main partner types emerged from the evidence synthesis and consultation: ‘established partner’, ‘new partner’, ‘occasional partner’, ‘one-off partner’ and ‘sex worker’. The types differed across several dimensions, including likely perceptions of sexual exclusivity, likelihood of sex reoccurring between index patient and sex partner. Sexual health professionals found the classification easy to operationalise. During the trial, they assigned all 3288 partners described by 2223 index patients to a category. The TDF analysis suggested that the partner types might be associated with different risks of STI reinfection, onward transmission and index patients’ engagement with PN.Conclusions We developed an evidence-informed, useable classification of five sexual partner types to underpin PN practice and other STI prevention interventions. Analysis of biomedical, psychological and social factors that distinguish different partner types shows how each could warrant a tailored PN approach. This classification could facilitate the use of partner-centred outcomes. Additional studies are needed to determine the utility of the classification to improve measurement of the impact of PN strategies and help focus resources.Data are available on reasonable request from Professor Claudia Estcourt (corresponding author): claudia.estcourt@gcu.ac.uk. The data consist of anonymised qualitative interview and focus group data and may be used with permission for research and/or clinical purposes. More information about the LUSTRUM research programme is available on the study website www.lustrum.org.uk and in the trial protocol paper: doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034806. ER -