Contact tracing
For STIs, contract tracing involves notifying partners of people diagnosed with an STI, so they can be tested and treated.
Australian research shows that both patients diagnosed with STIs and health professionals want more guidance and resources to assist them with this partner notification process.
The Australasian Contact Tracing Guidelines provides this practical support and guidance for clinicians.
Partner notification
Sexual partners of individuals who have a positive test for the following should be notified so they can be tested and treated for infection:
- chlamydia
- mycoplasma genitalium
- gonorrhoea
- syphilis
- trichomonas
- HIV
Which partners should be notified?
This is a difficult question. You need to be guided by the person's sexual history.
We suggest contacting any unprotected sex partner from the past 3-6 months OR if there have been no partners during that period, then the most recent sexual partner.
If the individual is asymptomatic, these infections may persist for many months.
It is better to err on the side of treating too many rather than too few partners.
Sometimes the sexual history will indicate a likely source partner.
Let them know
We have developed Let Them Know - a tool to assist people who have been diagnosed with some STIs to inform their partners.
Let Them Know provides sample conversations, emails, text messages and letters people can send to their partners either personally or anonymously.
Partner Notification Officers
Partner Notification Officers (PNOs) are nurses who work in the Office of the Chief Health Officer of the Department of Health & Human Services. They have experience in sexual health, mental health and drug and alcohol issues.
The PNOs have two major roles:
- Notify the sexual partners of people diagnosed with a Sexually Transmissible Infection (STI), which includes HIV, on request.
- Help manage people living with HIV who are placing others at risk.
Notifying sexual partner(s) of a positive test result is usually done by:
- doctor who makes the diagnosis
- patient themselves
- Let Them Know email, text message or letter
However, sometimes doctors or patients find it difficult or are unable to advise partner(s). In these cases, you can get help from the PNOs.
Call PNOs on 03 9096 3367
Privacy
The Health Records Act 2001(HRA) aims to protect the privacy of an individual's health information and how this information is managed.
The Act applies to the Victorian Government sector, Victorian Government funded services, private health services within Victoria and any other organisations within Victoria that hold health information.
Under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008, doctors and laboratories are required by law to notify the Department of Health & Human Services of diagnoses of specified conditions.
The Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2009 stipulate the information that must be provided. This includes demographic data, clinical history, the disease or condition diagnosed, risk factors, suspected modes of transmission and clinical comments.
The HRA requires you to inform your patient that this information is provided to the department, the reasons why it is provided and that there is a legal imperative to do so. The department has developed information sheets you can give your patient to assist with this process.