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Understanding the Policy, Legal and Practice Barriers to Treating the Partners of Adolescents with Sexually Transmitted Infections

Statement of Problem

Even though adolescents and young adults account for only one quarter of the sexually active population, they acquire half of all new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) each year in the United States. Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT), the treatment of the sexual partner(s) of a patient with an STI without being seen by a medical professional for an exam or counseling, is an effective method in preventing reinfection. However, due to a variety of barriers, and potentially augmented by a complex policy environment, EPT is not used frequently in treating adolescents with STIs. 

Description

Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) Process

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Expedited partner therapy (EPT) is a patient-delivered partner therapy used to help prevent reinfection of chlamydia or gonorrhea by providing the patient with extra maedication or a prescription to give to their sex partner(s) who are unwilling or unable to seek treatment.

Next Steps

We plan to share results at national meetings and also partner with local organizations to implement and evaluate programs focusing on providing EPT to adolescents.

This project page was last updated in January 2019.

Suggested Citation

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PolicyLab. Understanding the Policy, Legal, and Practice Barriers to Treating the Partners of Adolescents with Sexually Transmitted Infections [Online]. Available from: http://www.policylab.chop.edu [Accessed: plug in date accessed here].