BACKGROUND

Many international guidelines recommend routine treatment for individuals reporting sexual contact with sexual partners with chlamydia. In October 2019, the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC) changed routine treatment of all chlamydia contacts to selective treatment, reserving same-day treatment for those testing positive, unless patients presented with symptoms or with specific reasons.

METHODS

We conducted a before-and-after study among chlamydia contacts at MSHC by comparing 12 months before the "routine treatment" period (December 2018 to October 2019) and after the "selective treatment" period (November 2019 to December 2020).

RESULTS

Of the 2843 chlamydia contacts included in the analysis, chlamydia positivity was 31.9% (907/2843). The proportion of contacts who received treatment before test results decreased from 91.1% (1380/1515) to 55.6% (739/1328) (P < .0001). We reviewed 232 of the 739 chlamydia contacts in the selective period to determine reasons for treatment; 41.4% (96/232) were treated due to the presence of symptoms. The proportion of those who received treatment and later tested positive did not change between the 2 periods (3% [482/1380] vs 34.2% [253/739]; P = .750). The proportion of contacts who received unnecessary treatment (treated but tested negative) did not change between the 2 periods (65.1% [898/1380] vs 65.8% [486/739]; P = .750). Of the 60 who did not receive treatment but tested positive subsequently, 7 (11.7%) did not return for treatment, and it did not differ between the 2 periods (P = .370).

CONCLUSIONS

The selective treatment approach has reduced antibiotic consumption and likely decreased the overall workload of clinic staff by minimizing the need to treat all contacts.