GP's management of genital Chlamydia: a survey of reported practice

Genital chlamydial infection is the commonest curable sexually transmitted disease in the industrialized world. Little is known about how GPs manage this condition.

We aimed to determine current knowledge concerning genital chlamydia among GPs and to establish how patients with this infection are managed in primary care.

A confidential self-administered postal questionnaire survey was sent to all 494 GPs in one English health district (Leicestershire).

Completed questionnaires were returned by 290 GPs (a response rate of 59%). A much higher proportion of GPs had tested and/or treated female patients for chlamydia [70%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 64-75%] as opposed to male patients (20%, CI 15-25%). Female patients (70%, CI 64-75%) were also more likely to be managed in general practice than male patients (56%, CI 50-62%). A majority of GPs (66%, CI 60-72%) routinely used an appropriate method of testing for chlamydia although a high vaginal swab, an inappropriate method of testing, was used by a fifth of GPs (19%, CI 15-24%). A large number of different treatment regimes were used by GPs. The majority of GPs (85%, CI 79-89%) prescribed an appropriate antibiotic although few GPs (19%, CI 14-25%) specified a chlamydia treatment regime in accordance with accepted international guidelines with respect to drug, dosage and duration of therapy.

Female patients with known or suspected genital chlamydial infection are commonly managed in UK general practice. There is scope to improve the management of this infection in general practice.