Bibliographic information
GuidelineConsolidated guidelines on differentiated HIV testing services.
Year of Publication2024
Issuing InstitutionWorld Health Organization
Recommendation
Maintained
Originally developed
WHO recommends that sexually transmitted infection (STI) partner services should be offered to people with STIs as part of a range of options based on their needs and preferences and within a comprehensive package of voluntary STI testing, care and prevention
Recommended in favor
Strong
Certainty of evidence
Low
Notes and Remarks
- Human rights: STI partner services must always be voluntary and never mandatory.Coercive or forced testing is never warranted. All consenting patients should have theirprivacy protected and personal information should be kept confidential.
- Important to offer options: There are a range of STI partner services that should be offeredbased on patient preferences, feasibility and resources available. Partner services includeseveral options, such as patient referral, enhanced patient referral, delayed provider referral,provider-patient referral, and provider-assisted referral and social network approaches.Approaches with provider support are particularly effective and can be prioritized orencouraged where feasible. Expedited partner therapy (EPT) could also be considered aspart of partner services for some curable STIs, such as chlamydia or gonorrhoea.
- Linkage: Linkage to STI management services for sexual partners is an essentialcomponent of STI services.• Integration: STI partner services should be based within a broader programme andpackage of services. It is important to build on existing services (e.g. sexual andreproductive health services and family planning services), and integrated delivery acrossdisease areas (e.g. HIV and viral hepatitis).
Also Featured In
This recommendation also appears in the following guidelines:
Guideline
Updated recommendations for the treatment of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Treponema pallidum (syphilis) and new recommendations on syphilis testing and partner services.
Year2024
InstitutionWorld Health Organization