Receptiveness to Patient-Delivered Partner Therapy (PDPT) for Chlamydia Infection: Exploratory Findings From a Sample of Canadian Youth.

OBJECTIVES: To determine hypothetical receptiveness among Canadian 15-24 year old youth to providing and receiving patient-delivered partner therapy (PDPT) for Chlamydia trachomatis infection and to explore patient characteristics associated with receptiveness. METHODS: An anonymous cross-sectional survey was administered to a convenience sample of 312 youth ages 15-24 years presenting to a youth-focused community health centre (CHC) in Ajax, ON. The survey probed comfort with PDPT for chlamydia, both if the respondent was the hypothetical index case or the hypothetical partner. Participants ranked their hypothetical receptiveness on a five-point Likert Scale. Simple descriptive statistics were performed. RESULTS: Mean age of respondents was 19.2 years. The majority (87.6%) endorsed previous sexual activity, of which 18.8% reported a previous chlamydia diagnosis. Seventy-eight percent of respondents endorsed hypothetical comfort with providing PDPT, while 65.4% and 53.3% of respondents expressed hypothetical willingness to receive PDPT if they were symptomatic and asymptomatic from chlamydia, respectively. Having multiple recent sexual partners was associated with increased hypothetical receptiveness to PDPT. Age was not correlated with a significant difference in responses. CONCLUSION: Among 312 Canadian youth, a majority expressed hypothetical comfort with providing and receiving PDPT for C. trachomatis. Having multiple recent sexual partners significantly increased reported potential receptiveness. Within this sample, PDPT thus has a significant potential to reach youth engaging in higher-risk sexual behavior. Variations in comfort based on symptom status emphasized the importance of tailoring partner management strategies to individual patients and of ongoing patient education.

Removing the cobwebs: one nurse's experience understanding the role of the trauma research nurse.

Trauma research nursing and nursing research in general are not always understood or readily embraced by clinicians in the nursing profession. A reflective journey of a trauma nurse, new to the world of trauma research, is presented with an overview of the lessons learned along the way to becoming more experienced in this role. Various aspects of the role of a trauma research nurse are discussed along with suggestions for how a nurse can potentially make the transition into and growth in this role a smooth one.

Blunt chest trauma.

Blunt aortic injury is the most lethal injury of the thorax, of which aortic transection is the second leading cause of death. Pseudoaneurysm formation is seen in patients who survive the injury and arrive to the emergency department with small or partial-thickness tears of the aorta. In general, the proximal descending aorta is most commonly afflicted due to the relatively mobile aortic arch moving against the fixed descending aorta. There are several factors associated with a high risk of aortic injury including high-speed motor vehicle collision (MVC) accidents, unrestrained drivers and passengers, extensive impact/collision and abrupt deceleration of motor vehicles. In this case study, a 28-year-old male patient with a thoracic aorta injury is presented. Diagnostic findings consistent with transection and/or dissection and a review of his surgical management are also discussed.