Online Program

284629
Key barriers to the provision of chlamydia patient delivered partner therapy (PDPT) and evaluation of distribution programs in California health care settings


Monday, November 4, 2013

Claire Feldman, MPH, California Family Health Council, Berkeley, CA
Lani Pasion, California Family Health Council, Berkeley, CA
Aileen Barandas, MSN, FNP, California Family Health Council, Los Angeles, CA
Michelle Cantu, MPH, California Family Health Council, Los Angeles, CA
Megan Villwock, California Family Health Council, Berkeley, CA
Patient Delivered Partner Therapy (PDPT) is the most common form of Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) where sex partners of individuals testing positive for STDs are treated without an intervening medical evaluation. EPT has been legal in California since 2001 and is allowed in 31 other states. While PDPT should only be used in the event that an index patient's partner(s) cannot or will not receive care directly from a clinician, effective PDPT use may reduce the spread and reinfection of chlamydia and gonorrhea. Because it is uncommon for insurance to reimburse for PDPT medication, California Family Health Council (CFHC) has offered free PDPT since 2005 and currently provides medication to approximately 65 California Title X funded health care organizations and two juvenile detention facilities.

In an effort to increase the use and, thereby, the effectiveness of PDPT in treating chlamydia and gonorrhea, CFHC conducted a program evaluation to better understand the current needs of PDPT distribution programs and barriers associated with PDPT provision among participating clinics. The evaluation compared actual rates of PDPT distribution to predicted levels of use, and assessed effectiveness of CFHC's current training materials, data collection, and communication with the participating agencies. Evaluation findings will be used to improve the performance of PDPT programs and integration of PDPT distribution in California family planning settings.

Learning Areas:

Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Clinical medicine applied in public health
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Program planning

Learning Objectives:
Identify goals of evaluating PDPT programs. Describe interventions aimed to address key barriers which prevent effective PDPT distribution in diverse health settings.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the co-principal program manager of CFHC's PDPT program and evaluation.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.