[Handling of Chlamydia infections in young men aged 15 to 25 years by general practitioners. A questionnaire study]. / Praktiserende laegers håndtering af klamydia hos unge mellem 15 og 25 år. En spørgeskemaundersøgelse.

INTRODUCTION: Urogenital chlamydia is still common in the young. The late risks are well-documented. Most of the infections are diagnosed in general practice. The aim was to assess general practitioners' handling of urogenital chlamydial infections in young people aged 15-25 years. METHODS: Two groups of GPs were selected at random and were asked to complete a questionnaire before and after a "State-of-the-Art" was sent to all GPs from the National Board of Health. The questionnaire covered questions about 1) the test indication; 2) advice on the infection diagnosed; 3) contact tracing; and 4) first choice of treatment for uncomplicated infection in non-pregnant women. RESULTS: There was no difference between the two groups in the answers to questions 1) to 3), but an obvious change towards single-dose treatment in question 4), not because of the "State-of-the-Art", but rather because of the intensive marketing of the simple treatment regime. DISCUSSION: Implementation of new knowledge in general practice does not work only through national guidelines from the authorities to general practice, but is wholly dependent on central and local collaboration and GPs having the chance to discuss it between themselves.

[Contact tracing as a part of HIV infection prevention. Current practice and attitudes of general practitioners and hospital physicians; preliminary results]. / Kontaktopsporing som led i hiv-smittebekaempelsen. Eksisterende praksis og holdniger blandt alment parkiserende laeger og hospitalslaeger sant praeliminaere resultater.

All doctors that had reported a newly-identified HIV infected person to the national HIV surveillance unit during a nine months period were traced and interviewed for one year later. The results of the interviews that related to 102 out of 195 (52%) reports were compared between the 48 interviewed general practitioners (GPs) and the 33 interviewed hospital doctors (HDs). Both GPs and HDs found it difficult to give a positive HIV test result and wanted to co-work with trained counsellors for the partner notification (PN) process. It was neither a routine for all GPs nor for all HDs to ask the patients about sexual behaviour and to discuss safe sex, and screening for other STD's was rarely performed. The number of partners notified was low. HIV reporting doctors in Denmark seem motivated for PN. The outcome of PN can only be measured to a certain level as long as exposed partners are neither obliged to be tested nor to be counselled and as long as information about counselling and testing can not be shared between doctors in different settings.

Partner notification for HIV infection in Denmark: attitudes and preliminary results.

OBJECTIVES: To examine attitudes, experience and preliminary results of partner notification (PN) for HIV infection in Denmark among the doctors who inform one of their patients about being HIV infected. METHOD: The doctors who had reported to the national HIV surveillance unit about a new-identified HIV infected person, during a 9 months period, were searched for one year later. The traced doctors were interviewed. The results of the interview related to 102 out of 195 (52%) reports were compared between the 48 interviewed general practitioners (GPs) and the 33 interviewed hospital doctors (HDs). The proportion of traced reporting doctors were higher among GPs than among HDs. RESULTS: Both GPs and HDs found it difficult to give a positive HIV test result and wanted trained counsellors to work with them in the PN process. Less experience and fewer post-graduate courses about HIV may explain the GPs' lack of confidence to follow-up asymptomatic HIV positive patients. It was neither a routine for all the GPs or for all HDs to ask about patient behaviour nor to discuss safe sex with their index patients, and screening for other sexually transmitted diseases were seldomly performed. The numbers of partners notified, especially by the doctors were low. CONCLUSIONS: HIV reporting doctors in Denmark are motivated for PN. Educational programmes about counselling and care of HIV infected patients should, however, be offered at intervals, especially to GPs. The outcome of PN can only be measured to a certain level as long as exposed partners are neither obliged to be tested nor to be counselled and as long as information about counselling and testing can not be shared between doctors in different settings.