title: Perspectives on expedited partner therapy for chlamydia: a survey of health care providers.
abstract: There is a lack of research on health care providers' use of and perspectives on expedited partner therapy in a state where expedited partner therapy is not prohibited or explicitly allowed. The aim of our study was to understand if and how health care providers use expedited partner therapy, if specific demographic factors and knowledge contribute to increased use of expedited partner therapy, and to describe barriers and facilitators to the use of expedited partner therapy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A convenience sample of 112 health care providers from diverse disciplines who treat young women at risk for chlamydia completed an online survey. About 11% of health care providers used expedited partner therapy consistently. Those who self-reported that they were knowledgeable about expedited partner therapy were more likely to use expedited partner therapy (73% vs. 49%, p = .009) as were those who said no or were unsure about their institution's guidelines for expedited partner therapy (35% vs. 22%, p = 0.01) (62% vs. 57%, p = 0.01). The most commonly reported facilitator of expedited partner therapy was having clear legal guidelines (86%). This study finds that in a setting where expedited partner therapy is not expressly permitted, health care providers still use the practice but also experience barriers that limit uptake. Legislation expressly endorsing expedited partner therapy in the state and in medical institutions is needed to increase expedited partner therapy use.
authors.affiliation: VA Women's Health, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Elian.rosenfeld@va.gov.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Rosenfeld
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health; University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marx
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health; University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Terry
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health; University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stall
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Flatt
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.|Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Borrero
authors.affiliation: Division of Adolescent Medicine, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016358:Contact Tracing; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015143:Philadelphia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012747:Sexual Partners
keywords: Expedited partner therapy; providers; sexually transmitted infection; survey; treatment