EVALUATION OF THE MANAGEMENT OF SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS BY PRIVATE PRACTITIONERS IN PULAU PINANG, MALAYSIA

To determine the current practices of private practitioners for the management of STIs in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, evaluation of pharmacotherapy for STIs in private clinics and to ascertain the management of STIs compared to standard guidelines. Methods: Data was collected by self-administered questionnaire for private practitioners, which gathered information on their socio-demographic as well as practice characteristics. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS for Windows version 13.0. Results: Data was collected from 78 practitioners. Most of the treatment choices mentioned for the treatment of gonorrhea were inconsistent with the guidelines. About 51.2% of practitioners did not screen their patients for HIV/AIDS. Majority of private practitioners counseled their patients about HIV/AIDS on an irregular basis. A high percentage of 59% did not inform health authorities about STI cases and 32.1% mentioned that they did not use any guidelines. Conclusions: Management of STIs by private practitioners with respect to selection of antibiotics, patient counseling and case notification leaves a lot to be desired. Current management practices can adversely impact on HIV/AIDS transmission in the country. Interventions are needed to improve the management practices of private practitioners.