Announcement of NHRMC Partnership Grant

Implementation of an integrated model of chlamydia case management in general practice – $1,497,232, Prof Jane Hocking

Chlamydia is the most commonly diagnosed bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide and can have serious complications, particularly for women - 17% of cases will lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) which can lead to ectopic pregnancy and tubal factor infertility. The risk of PID increases with each repeat chlamydia infection, with very high repeat infection rates among young men and women. General practice is a critical element of chlamydia control as over 80% of cases are diagnosed here. To date, the focus on chlamydia control policy has been on maximising chlamydia test uptake with little attention given to the management of infection – good management includes partner notification to reduce the risk of re-infection and re-testing three months after chlamydia treatment to detect repeat infection early and reduce the risk of PID.

Our 5 year program of research aims develop an integrated model of chlamydia management that can be scaled up for widespread implementation. We will i) develop an integrated model of chlamydia case management for implementation in general practice; ii) evaluate the clinical uptake, impact and cost-effectiveness of the model in general practice; and; iii) develop a plan for the widespread implementation of an integrated model of chlamydia case management in general practice.

Our multi-disciplinary team includes investigators from Melbourne School of Population and Global Health and Department of General Practice at the University of Melbourne, the Kirby Institute and Monash University. The project will be conducted in partnership with Victorian, NSW and QLD health departments, family planning in Victoria, NSW and QLD, Victorian Cytology Service, Sydney Sexual Health Centre, and North Western Melbourne and Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Networks.