To notify or not to notify: STD patients' perspectives of partner notification in Seattle.
OBJECTIVE
To obtain patients' perspectives on why only some partners are notified in partner-notification programs, the cornerstone of sexually transmitted disease (STD) control, although low proportions of partners are located and evaluated.


OBJECTIVE
To describe patterns of partner notification reported by persons with STD infection.


METHODS
In-depth interviews conducted in Seattle with 60 heterosexual men and women with gonorrhea, chlamydial infection, or nongonoccocal urethritis, and 19 men with gonorrhea reporting sex with men (MSM) were tape recorded, transcribed verbatim, and content analyzed.


RESULTS
The typical notification pattern was to notify a main partner but not others. Least likely to be notified were partners perceived as transmitters, contacts preceding the onset of symptoms, the oral sex and anonymous contacts of MSM, one-time partners of men, and incarcerated and former partners of women. Fears among young heterosexual participants included gossip and violence (women). Fears among MSM included rejection.


CONCLUSIONS
Partner-notification programs should develop innovative approaches for partners perceived as transmitters, oral-sex only contacts of MSM, and contacts preceding symptom onset.
Gorbach
P M
PM
Department of Medicine and the Center for AIDS and STD Research, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. pgorbach@mail.sdsv.edu
Aral
S O
SO
Celum
C
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Stoner
B P
BP
Whittington
W L
WL
Galea
J
J
Coronado
N
N
Connor
S
S
Holmes
K K
KK
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000517:prevention & control; D016358:Contact Tracing; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006069:Gonorrhea / Q000517:prevention & control; D020010:Heterosexuality; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014526:Urethritis / Q000517:prevention & control; D014861:Washington