STD PARTNER NOTIFICATION AND REFERRAL IN PRIMARY LEVEL HEALTH CENTERSIN NAIROBI, KENYA

Background: Controlling sexually transmitted diseases requires that pa rtners of patients with a sexually transmitted disease be notified and treated. However, many countries in the developing world lack the inf rastructure and resources for effective partner referral. Goal of this Study: To provide information on rates of partner referral in primary -level health centers in Kenya, to identify characteristics of patient s with sexually transmitted diseases who inform their partners about t he need for treatment, and to evaluate the impact of a brief counselin g intervention on rates of partner notification. Study Design: Two-hun dred-fifty-four patients presenting for treatment of a sexually transm itted disease were given 5 to 10 minutes of additional counseling on t he importance of referring partners for sexually transmitted disease t reatment. All patients who returned for follow-up 1 week later were in terviewed to determine whether they had notified their sex partners. R esults: Sixty-eight percent of patients who returned for follow-up rep orted they had referred their partners for treatment of a sexually tra nsmitted disease. The highest rates of partner notification occurred a mong women attending maternal child health/family planning clinics and married men and women attending general outpatient clinics. Conclusio n: Strengthening and directing counseling toward women in maternal chi ld health/family planning clinics and married men and women in general clinics may be an effective and inexpensive way to increase partner n otification in the developing world.