Resources to Facilitate Expedited Partner Therapy

Background: Expedited partner therapy (EPT) is an important, innovative, and proven approach to reducing Chlamydia and/or gonorrhea prevalence, incidence, and reinfection rates by improving treatment of potentially infected partners. The CDC and national organizations support EPT, with its application being suggested for more and more patient populations, as evidenced by a recent position paper by the Society for Adolescent Medicine. Educational and performance support resources are necessary to facilitate providers’ accurate, effective, and cost-efficient EPT adoption and implementation. To date, although many homegrown resources exist for supporting implementation and several organizations have gathered examples of implementation resources, there exists no single, readily accessible, easily modifiable, training and performance support repository.

Objectives: To develop research-based, theory-grounded EPT adoption, training, and implementation resources for providers and healthcare organizations, and to make these resources widely accessible.

Methods: Development of the resources occurred through an iterative, user-centered process.  A panel of established subject-matter expects, CDC personnel, and expert, “high performing” practitioners provided content and ongoing review.

Results: The effort resulted in a 1) web-based course for providers, including multiple video case studies of actual implementation; 2) a single stop web-based resource for information and discussions regarding EPT policy, adoption, and implementation, including forms and patient educational materials providers can modify for their patients; and 3) a web-based portal for patients and partners to learn more about EPT, including video models of patients interacting with partners, and frequently asked questions. The work to date has been well-received by researchers and practitioners.

Conclusions: EPT is an important tool for STI treatment and prevention. To use this tool effectively, providers need adoption and implementation resources. The resources developed through this research effort support adoption and implementation at the provider and patient levels.

Implications for Programs, Policy, and/or Research: Increasing awareness and use of the resources developed in this effort should improve overall EPT adoption and implementation rates.