Patient-led partner referral in a district hospital based STD clinic

Sexual communication and appropriate treatment of sexual partners is critical to the success of STD and HIV/AIDS prevention and control.

To understand factors influencing intention of STD patients to inform their regular sexual partners and identify predictors influencing actual return of the partners.

A non-randomised survey of patients attending STD clinic in a district hospital between May and November 2000.

182 patients were administered structured questionnaires to understand their intention to notify their regular sexual partners and encouraged to refer their regular sexual partners to the clinic for management. Factors related to intent to notify partners and actual partner referral were analysed.

Chi square test and forward stepwise logistic regression.

Of the 182 STD patients 77.47% expressed their positive intention to notify their regular sexual partners. However, overall partner return rate was 40.65%. Patients from a better economic class (p=0.014), those who had sex since having the disease (p=0.001), those who felt it was easy to tell their partners (p=0.047) and perceived the necessity of investigating their partners (p<0.001) were more likely to have an intention to notify their partners. Independent predictors of actual return of sexual partners were patients' perception of partners' susceptibility (p=0.044), positive intention to notify partners (p=0.001), partners already informed before clinic visit (p=0.030) and presence of genital ulcerative diseases (p=0.033).

STD clinic counselling and education should focus on risk reduction, partner susceptibility, role of STDs in HIV transmission and improving spousal communication.