Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2015 Apr 7;10(4):e0121536.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121536. eCollection 2015.

Effectiveness of a pilot partner notification program for new HIV cases in Barcelona, Spain

Patricia Garcia de Olalla  1 , Ema Molas  2 , María Jesús Barberà  3 , Silvia Martín  4 , Encarnació Arellano  3 , Mercè Gosch  3 , Pilar Saladie  3 , Teresa Carbonell  5 , Hernando Knobel  5 , Elia Diez  6 , Joan A Caylà  1
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Effectiveness of a pilot partner notification program for new HIV cases in Barcelona, Spain

Patricia Garcia de Olalla et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: An estimated 30% of HIV cases in the European Union are not aware of their serological status. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a pilot HIV partner notification program.

Methods: HIV cases diagnosed between January 2012 and June 2013 at two healthcare settings in Barcelona were invited to participate in a prospective survey. We identified process and outcome measures to evaluate this partner notification program, including the number of partners identified per interviewed index case, the proportion of partners tested for HIV as a result of the partner notification, and the proportion of new HIV diagnoses among their sex or needle-sharing partners.

Results: Of the 125 index cases contacted, 108 (86.4%) agreed to provide information about partners. A total of 199 sexual partners were identified (1.8 partners per interviewed index case). HIV outcome was already known for 58 partners (70.7% were known to be HIV-positive), 141 partners were tested as result of partner notification, and 26 were newly diagnosed with HIV. The case-finding effectiveness of the program was 18.4%.

Conclusion: This pilot program provides evidence of the effectiveness of a partner notification program implemented in healthcare settings. This active partner notification program was feasible, acceptable to the user, and identified a high proportion of HIV-infected patients previously unaware of their status.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Outcome of partner notification for 125 individuals newly diagnosed with HIV infection.
Barcelona, 2012–13.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Partner notification outcomes by CD4 count categories of the index cases who provide contact tracing information.
Barcelona, 2012–13.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hamers FF, Phillips AN. Diagnosed and undiagnosed HIV-infected populations in Europe. HIV Med. 2008;9 Suppl 2: 6–12. 10.1111/j.1468-1293.2008.00584.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. de Olalla PG, Manzardo C, Sambeat MA, Ocaña I, Knobel H, Humet V, et al. Epidemiological characteristics and predictors of late presentation of HIV infection in Barcelona (Spain) during the period 2001–2009. AIDS Res Ther. 2011;8:22 Available: http://www.aidsrestherapy.com/content/pdf/1742-6405-8-22.pdf. Accessed 05 August 2014. 10.1186/1742-6405-8-22 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cambiano V, O'Connor J, Phillips AN, Rodger A, Lodwick R, Pharris A, et al. Antiretroviral therapy for prevention of HIV transmission: implications for EuropeEuro Surveill. 2013;18(48): 20647 Available:http://www.eurosurveillance.org/images/dynamic/EE/V18N48/art20647.pdf. Accessed 05 August 2014. - PubMed
    1. Almeda J, Casabona J, Simon B, Gerard M, Rey D, Puro V, et al. Proposed recommendations for the management of HIV post-exposure prophylaxis after sexual, injecting drug or other exposures in Europe. Euro Surveill.2004;9 (6): 35–40. Available: http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=471. Accessed 05 August 2014. - PubMed
    1. Lunny C, Shearer BD. A systematic review and comparison of HIV contact tracing laws in Canada. Health Policy. 2011;103(2–3): 111–123. 10.1016/j.healthpol.2011.09.011 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types