Telling partners about chlamydia: how acceptable are the new technologies?

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Disease Control
• Sexual Health

Background:

• Partner notification is crucial for controlling chlamydia transmission.
• Many sexual partners of diagnosed individuals remain unaware of their risk.
• Email and SMS are newer technologies explored to enhance partner notification rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the use and acceptability of various partner notification methods.
• To inform the development of strategies and resources for increasing partner notification.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured telephone interviews conducted with 40 individuals recently diagnosed with chlamydia.
• Participants recruited from sexual health centers and general practices across three Australian jurisdictions.

Main Results:

• In-person (56%) and phone (44%) were the most preferred methods for partner notification.
• Email and SMS were used by only 17% of participants.
• Face-to-face contact was considered the 'gold standard', while email and SMS were often viewed as less personal and potentially misunderstood.

Conclusions:

• Individuals diagnosed with chlamydia are often reluctant to use newer technologies for partner notification.
• Personal interaction methods are generally preferred, demonstrating care and respect.
• Future efforts should focus on equipping patients with skills and confidence for direct personal communication to improve chlamydia control.