The Legal Status of Patient-Delivered Partner Therapy for Sexually Transmitted Infections in the United States: A National Survey of State Medical and Pharmacy Boards

In the current study, the authors sought to define the legal status of patient-delivered partner therapy (PDPT) in the United States. To achieve this goal, they conducted a survey of directors of state boards of pharmacy and medicine in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

A total of 37 (72 percent) pharmacy boards and 37 (72 percent) medical boards representing 47 states returned completed surveys. Four states clearly defined PDPT as legal. "PDPT was regarded as illegal by 16 (43 percent) medical boards and 19 (51 percent) pharmacy boards and as of uncertain legality by 16 (43 percent) medical boards and 14 (38 percent) pharmacy boards," reported the researchers. The majority of boards (88 percent) that regarded PDPT as illegal or of uncertain legality indicated that the issue had never been broached.

"The legal status of PDPT is uncertain in much of the US, and the practice is often considered illegal," the authors concluded. If PDPT is to be widely promoted, new laws or legal rulings will be necessary.

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