General practitioners' views on the screening for genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection and partner notification

Abstract

A postal survey of general practitioners (GPs) in the East Riding of Yorkshire was undertaken to find out their views about screening for Chlamydia trachomatis infection, the reasons for their inability to screen the high-risk population, facilities available for screening in the primary care setting, treatment regimen and the views about partner notification. Although all GPs had the facilities for chalmydial testing, their views on chlamydial screening differed widely and very few offered opportunistic screening. Most of the GPs would prefer the sexual health clinics (genitourinary medicine [GUM] clinics) to undertake partner notification. Less than half of the GPs surveyed offered the ideal antimicrobial therapy against chlamydial infection, as recommended by the Central Audit Group in Genito-urinary Medicine1. This survey shows the necessity to disseminate proper guidelines for the management of uncomplicated C. trachomatis infection in the community. Sexual health clinics should make adequate provision to deal with additional workload resulting from the increased referrals of partners to the clinics when the opportunistic screening is widely provided by the GPs.