Wider Use of Expedited Partner Therapy Might Benefit Women with Gonorrhea or Chlamydia

Expedited partner therapy (EPT), in which a patient with an identified sexually transmitted infection is given a prescription or medication for his or her sexual partner or partners, lowers chlamydia and gonorrhea reinfection rates and has been legalized in many states. To evaluate a public health intervention to promote EPT use, investigators randomized 23 health jurisdictions in Washington State to four study groups, which implemented the intervention at 6- to 8-month intervals. The intervention provided free medication at clinics or pharmacies for partners of patients with chlamydia or gonorrhea, as well as help contacting these partners if patients did not want to do so themselves (partner services).

During the 3-year study, the proporti…