Impact of an electronic medical record best practice alert on expedited partner therapy for chlamydia infection and reinfection

Background Atrius Health implemented a best practice alert (BPA) to encourage clinicians to provide expedited partner therapy (EPT) in October 2014. We assessed the impact of the BPA on EPT provision and chlamydial reinfection; and the impact of EPT on testing for chlamydia reinfection and reinfection rates. Methods We included patients ≥15 years with ≥1 positive chlamydia test between January 2013-March 2019. Tests-of-reinfection were defined as chlamydia tests 28-120 days after initial infection and corresponding positive results were considered evidence of reinfection. We used interrupted time series analyses to identify changes in 1) frequency of EPT; 2) tests-of-reinfection; 3) reinfections after the BPA was released. Log-binomial regression models, with GEE methods, assessed associations between EPT and tests-of-reinfection, and EPT and reinfection. Results Among 7,267 chlamydia infections, EPT was given to 1,475 (20%) patients. EPT frequency increased from 15% to 22% of infections between January 2013-September 2014 (β =0.003, p=0.03). After the BPA was released, EPT frequency declined to 19% of infections by March 2019 (β =-0.004, p=0.008). On average, 35% of chlamydia infections received a test-of-reinfection and 7% were reinfected; there were no significant changes in these percentages after BPA implementation. Patients given EPT were more likely to receive tests-of-reinfection (prevalence ratio (PR) 1.09, 95% CI: 1.01-1.16) but without change in reinfections (PR 0.88, 95% CI: 0.66-1.17). Conclusions BPAs in electronic medical record systems may not be effective at increasing EPT prescribing and decreasing chlamydial reinfection. However, patients given EPT were more likely to receive a test of chlamydia reinfection.