Abstract
Adolescents are at high risk of acquiring and becoming reinfected with sexually transmitted
infections. Partner notification and treatment are essential to preventing the spread
of sexually transmitted infections. Expedited partner therapy (EPT) is a method of
partner treatment used by medical providers to treat patients' sexual partners without
direct medical evaluation or counseling. The objective of this article is to review
the current literature regarding EPT effectiveness, patients' attitudes and acceptance
of EPT, and providers’ views and practices surrounding the use of this method of partner
treatment. In this article potential concerns associated with EPT use, current policy
statements, and the legal status of EPT are discussed. EPT results in improved or
equivalent rates of reinfection in adolescents and adults with Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas vaginalis. Overall, patients are accepting of this method of partner treatment, however, providers
continue to have concerns that limit its routine use. Additional studies in adolescents
will help providers better understand if EPT is a useful method to prevent reinfection
in this population.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 03, 2017
Footnotes
The authors indicate no conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc.
