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Valuable Resources

CDC Guidance For Use Of EPT

From The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Expedited Partner Therapy in the Management of Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, 2006.

EPT is at least equivalent to patient referral in preventing persistent or recurrent gonorrhea or chlamydial infection in heterosexual men and women, and in its association with several desirable behavioral outcomes. These conclusions support the following recommendations:

• Gonorrhea and chlamydial infection in women: EPT can be used to treat partners as an option when other management strategies are impractical or unsuccessful. Symptomatic male partners should be encouraged to seek medical attention, in addition to accepting therapy by EPT, through counseling of the index case, written materials, and/or personal counseling by a pharmacist or other personnel.
• Gonorrhea and chlamydial infection in men: EPT can be used to treat partners as an option
  when other management strategies are impractical or unsuccessful. Female recipients of EPT should be strongly encouraged to seek medical attention, in addition to accepting therapy. This should be accomplished through written materials that accompany medication, by counseling of the index case and, when practical, through personal counseling by a pharmacist or other personnel. It is particularly important that female recipients of EPT who have symptoms that suggest acute PID, such as abdominal or pelvic pain, seek medical attention.
• Gonorrhea and chlamydial infection in men who have sex with men: EPT should not be
  considered a routine partner management strategy, because data are lacking on the efficacy in this population, and because of a high risk of co-morbidity, especially undiagnosed HIV infection, in partners. EPT should only be used selectively, and with caution, when other partner management strategies are impractical or unsuccessful.
• Women with trichomoniasis: EPT is not recommended for routine use in the management of women with trichomoniasis, because of a high risk of STI co-morbidity in partners, especially gonorrhea and chlamydial infection. EPT should only be used selectively, and with caution, when other partner management strategies are impractical or unsuccessful.
• Syphilis: EPT is not recommended for routine use in the management of patients with infectious
  syphilis.