Poster Session 3
Likhita Nandigam, BA (she/her/hers)
Medical Student
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States
Sara Vincent, BS
Medical Student
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States
Alison N. Goulding, MD, MSCR
Assistant Professor
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States
Irene A. Stafford, MD, MS
Associate Professor
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Houston, Texas, United States
Julie Gutierrez, MD
Assistant Professor
McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth)
Houston, Texas, United States
Kaitlyn Stark, BS
Medical Student
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston - McGovern Medical School
Houston, Texas, United States
Anthony Chartier, MD (he/him/his)
Resident
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth
Houston, Texas, United States
Pregnancy provides an opportunity for routine STI testing. However, partner testing and treatment remain challenging, leading to reinfection cycles. Our study sought to evaluate risk factors for incomplete partner treatment for STIs with and without public health surveillance.
Study Design:
We performed a retrospective cohort study of all pregnant women who received care at two safety-net hospitals in Harris County, TX between 2019 – 2022. Record review was performed for all patients who tested positive for chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, and/or syphilis during pregnancy. If any gaps were identified in documentation, patients were contacted for a brief interview about partner(s). Reasons for incomplete partner treatment were stratified into lack of education, lack of contact with patient, financial or other barriers to treatment, tested negative, or treatment status unknown. Partner treatment for hepatitis B and syphilis was confirmed with the regional health department. Differences in categorical variables between groups were examined using chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test. P< 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results:
Of 20,108 pregnant patients who received care between 2019-2022, 369 patients met inclusion criteria (Table 1). Partner treatment was most successful for patients with chlamydia (53.6%) and gonorrhea (45.5%), followed by syphilis (43.4%) and hepatitis B (1.2%) (Table 2). Lack of ongoing contact was the most common reason for insufficient partner treatment in patients with chlamydia (43.1%) or gonorrhea (75.0%). For syphilis and hepatitis B, the predominant reason remains unknown (42.9%, 72.5%, respectively).
Conclusion:
While reasons for partner treatment are well-documented for clinician-monitored STIs, partner STI status remains relatively unknown for syphilis and hepatitis B. Because these infections are subject to public health surveillance, there may be an overreliance on public health authorities for managing these STIs. Increased education for providers for all STIs should be prioritized, and existing gaps in this area should be addressed.
