VAIL, COLO. – Expedited partner therapy is a novel approach to the treatment of sexually transmitted infections that’s catching on across much of the United States.
In expedited partner therapy, the physician treats the sexual partners of a patient diagnosed with chlamydia or gonorrhea by providing prescriptions or actual medications for the patient to pass along to his or her partners without prior examination of the partners by the health care provider.
"It’s a new concept that sometimes makes people uncomfortable. You have no relationship with the patient’s partners. But when you think about it from the public health perspective, you’re treating the sexual partners – and you may be preventing your patient from being reinfected," Dr. Ann-Christine Nyquist said at a conference on pediatric infectious diseases sponsored by Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Ideally, the patient’s partner or partners should come in for a complete sexually transmitted disease (STD) evaluation and counseling plus treatment, but many times it’s just not possible to get them into care, said Dr. Nyquist, professor of pediatrics and associate dean at the University of Colorado, Denver.
Experts in the Division of STD Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are enthusiastic about expedited partner therapy. They see it as a way to put a dent in the estimated 3 million new cases of chlamydia and 700,000 of gonorrhea per year in the United States. Together with legal scholars at the Arizona State University College of Law in Tempe, the CDC has created a "Legal/Policy Toolkit for Adoption and Implementation of Expedited Partner Therapy."
The toolkit provides model legislation for consideration by state lawmakers. It also includes answers to frequently asked questions from physicians and pharmacists regarding issues such as prescription labeling requirements, breach of confidentiality considerations, and how the HIPAA Privacy Rule bears on expedited partner therapy.
At present, expedited partner therapy is permissible in 32 states, potentially allowable in 11, and prohibited in 7: Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, and West Virginia.
"You need to find out what the legal landscape is in your state," Dr. Nyquist advised.
She reported having no financial conflicts of interest.