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Partner notification for sexually transmitted infections in developing countries: a systematic review
Nazmul Alam1, Eric Chamot, Sten H Vermund
1ICDDR, B: Centre for Health and Population Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
BMC Public Health
|January 20, 2010
Summary
Partner notification (PN) for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in developing countries faces sociocultural and infrastructural barriers. Client-oriented counseling can improve PN outcomes, aiding STI management.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Infectious Diseases
- Global Health
Background:
- Assessing the feasibility and acceptability of partner notification (PN) for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in developing countries.
- Identifying future intervention needs for STI control programs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the literature on STI partner notification in developing countries.
- To extract data on willingness to notify, notification rates, barriers, and evaluated approaches.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature review of Medline, Embase, and Google Scholar (1995-2007).
- Extraction of data on index patient willingness, partner notification proportions, client and infrastructure barriers, and PN approaches.
Main Results:
- 39 studies met criteria; PN outcomes varied, more frequent for spousal partners.
- Barriers included stigma, fear of abuse, limited clinics, and lack of trained providers/diagnostics.
- Client-oriented counseling improved partner referral outcomes.
Conclusions:
- STD clinics can enhance PN through client-oriented counseling to overcome barriers.
- Well-designed PN interventions evaluating impact on STI prevalence and cost-effectiveness are needed to secure policy maker resources.
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