Chlamydia & partner notification options study

This study explored the use and acceptability of different partner notification methods.

We surveyed patients who had recently been diagnosed with chlamydia, We asked how they had notified their partners and explored their views on alternative partner notification methods.

We found that participants saw telling their partner face-to-face as the “gold standard” in partner notification. Telling a partner over a telephone call was considered insensitive by some, but was often valued because it was quick, convenient and less confronting. Email was often seen as less personal. SMS was generally considered the least acceptable method for telling partners. There was also concern that emails and SMS could be misunderstood, not taken seriously or shown to others.