Reporting and treating gonorrhea: results of a statewide survey in Alaska

Two hundred physicians, public health nurses, medics, and physician's assistants, comprising 92% of health care providers treating gonorrhea in Alaska, were interviewed to determine the number of cases seen during a 12-month period and to determine the adequacy of treatment given. Significantly more cases were reported on the survey than were reported to the State Department of Health. However, an attempt to validate the survey results through a chart review suggested that surveys relying on memory provide overestimates of cases and that gonorrhea may not be as underreported as previously thought. A wide variety of antibiotics were used to treat gonorrhea. Physicians in private practice accounted for the majority of inadequately treated cases. The actual number of cases receiving ineffective therapy was estimated as 2%.