Methods of partner notification

Partner notification can be carried out in three different ways:

1. Patient referral:  the index patient himself or herself informs the partners that they should seek testing and treatment. This is often referred to as partner notification.

2. Provider referral: a health-care professional informs partners of their need for testing and treatment. This is often referred to as contact tracing.

3. Conditional referral:  a combination of the previous two strategies.