4.1.4:  Expedited Partner Therapy

Prescribing for an individual whom the licensee has not met or personally examined may be suitable when that individual is the partner of a patient whom the licensee is treating for certain infectious diseases, including sexually transmitted infections (“STI”), including, but not limited to, gonorrhea and chlamydia.  Expedited Partner Therapy (EPT) is a partner treatment approach where the sex partners of patients who test positive for certain STIs are provided treatment without previous medical evaluation.  Although not a replacement for strategies such as physician referral, EPT may be warranted for patients with treatable STIs to prevent reinfection and curtail further transmission.

Partner management of patients with these conditions should be consistent with the applicable standard of care and include the following items:

• A prescription for the appropriate medication of the appropriate quantity and strength sufficient to provide curative treatment for each partner named by the infected patient.
• A prescription for the named partners should be accompanied by written material that states that clinical evaluation is desirable; that prescriptions for medication or related compounds to which the partner is allergic should not be accepted; and that lists common medication side effects and the appropriate response to them.
• Prescriptions and accompanying written material, including treatment instructions, appropriate warnings about taking medications (e.g., if the partner is pregnant or has an allergy to the medication), general STI health education and counseling resources, and a statement advising that partners should seek personal medical evaluation, particularly women with symptoms of pelvic inflammatory disease, should be given to the licensee’s patient for distribution to named partners.  
• The licensee should keep appropriate documentation of partner management.  Documentation should include the names of partners and a copy of the prescriptions issued or an equivalent statement.