Formative Design and Evaluation of Patient-Delivered Partner Therapy Informational Materials and Packaging

The purpose of the current study was to develop and evaluate instructional packaging materials for patient-delivered partner therapy (PDPT).

The study was based in an urban sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic, at which 64 patients were participants. The project?s three phases were: individual interviews to elicit attitudes and beliefs about PDPT and to assess the understanding of key concepts and terminology related to STIs; the development and rapid validation of prototype instructional and packaging materials for PDPT; and interviews to assess the effectiveness, acceptability, and usability of the materials. Thematic qualitative data analysis was employed to examine interview responses.

In addition to determining that patients were willing to deliver and receive PDPT, the results identified several potentially important related beliefs. The participants evidenced 'substantial unfamiliarity with words associated with STI treatment and some variability in definitions of sex partners.' The materials about PDPT differentially affected participants? willingness to receive (positively) and to deliver (negatively) PDPT; they positively influenced self-efficacy and understanding; and they were perceived as easy to use.

'PDPT creates complex challenges for education, motivation, and communication,' the authors observed in their conclusion. 'Issues such as appropriate vocabulary and interpersonal trust may be amplified when responsibility for a medical procedure -- dispensation of treatment -- is shifted to patients. STI PDPT implementation can be augmented with effective, high-quality informational and packaging materials; however, several challenges exist.'

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