• Pediatric emergency care · Mar 2021

    Preferences for Expedited Partner Therapy Among Adolescents in an Urban Pediatric Emergency Department: A Mixed-Methods Study.

    • Zohar Shamash, Marina Catallozzi, Peter S Dayan, and Lauren S Chernick.
    • From the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center.
    • Pediatr Emerg Care. 2021 Mar 1; 37 (3): e91e96e91-e96.

    ObjectivesExpedited partner therapy (EPT) refers to treating sexual partners of patients with sexually transmitted infections by providing prescriptions or medications to give to their partners. Expedited partner therapy is not routinely prescribed in the emergency department (ED). Our objective was to explore adolescent preferences for EPT use in the ED.MethodsWe conducted a mixed-methods study using surveys and semistructured interviews in one urban ED. Sexually active patients aged 15 to 19 years completed an anonymous survey eliciting (1) sexual history and risky sexual behaviors, (2) preferences for partner notification when hypothetically testing positive for an STI, and (3) preferences for EPT. A subsample of survey respondents participated in the interviews, which were conducted until no new perspectives emerged. Investigators analyzed interviews using thematic analysis.ResultsA total of 247 participants completed surveys; the majority were female (183/247, 74%), Hispanic (209/243, 86%), and did not use a condom at last intercourse (129/243, 53%). Two thirds of participants (152/236, 64%) did not prefer EPT for partner notification. Preference for EPT was not associated with sex, age, ethnicity, condom use, a steady sexual partner, or STI history. Qualitative data from both surveys and interviews revealed the following reasons for not preferring EPT: concern for partner safety, importance of determining partner STI status, perceived benefit of clinical interaction, and partner accountability. Reasons for preferring EPT included increased treatment accessibility and convenience.ConclusionsThe majority of adolescent patients in a pediatric ED did not prefer EPT. Emergency department practitioners should address common concerns regarding EPT to increase EPT adherence if prescribed.Copyright © 2019 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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