Abstract
Background. Despite the established effectiveness of expedited partner therapy (EPT) in partner treatment of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STI), the practice is underutilized. Objective. To estimate the relative effectiveness of strategies to increase EPT uptake (numbers of partners treated for chlamydia). Methods. We developed a care cascade model of cumulative probabilities to estimate the number of partners treated under strategies to increase EPT uptake in Minnesota. The care cascade model used data from clinical trials, population-based studies, and Minnesota chlamydia surveillance as well as in-depth interviews of health providers who regularly treat STI patients and a statewide survey of health providers across Minnesota. Results. Several strategies could improve EPT uptake among providers, including facilitating treatment payment (additional 1,932 partners treated) and implementing electronic health record reminders (additional 1,755 partners treated). Addressing concerns about liability would have the greatest effect, resulting in 2,187 additional partners treated. Conclusions. Providers expressed openness to offering EPT under several scenarios, which reflect differences in knowledge about EPT, its legality, and potential risks to patients. While addressing concerns about provider liability would have the greatest effect on number of partners treated, provider education and procedural changes could make a substantial impact. Addressing provider concerns about expedited partner therapy (EPT) legality and its potential risks would result in the most partners treated for chlamydia. EPT alerts and electronic EPT prescriptions may also streamline partner treatment. Provider education about the legality of EPT and its potential risks and training in counseling patients on EPT could also increase uptake.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Journal | MDM Policy and Practice |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, grants TL1R002493 and UL1TR002494, and internal funding from the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health. Financial support for this study was provided in part by a grant from the National Institutes of Health. The funding agreement ensured the authors’ independence in designing the study, interpreting the data, writing, and publishing the report.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023.
Keywords
- decision analysis
- expedited partner therapy
- sexually transmitted infections
PubMed: MeSH publication types
- Journal Article