Partner notification, also known as contact tracing, is the process of informing anyone you have had sexual contact with recently, that they may have been exposed to a sexually transmitted infection (STI). The purpose is to help your partners/contacts get tested and treated if necessary and to stop the spread of infection to others.

Why do I need to let my recent partners know that I’ve tested positive for an STI? 

It’s important to let them know, as they may also have an STI. If left untreated, STIs can cause symptoms and have long term health implications. If your partner is untreated, they may continue to pass the infection on to others, and you may also be at risk of reinfection.

PN Discussion

We will need to ask you for some information about your recent sexual contact(s). We appreciate that this may be sensitive, however, all information is confidential and we only ask questions that are relevant to providing effective care.

We can also discuss how to inform your partner and support you with any questions you have about informing them.

Can you help me inform my partner?

We encourage you to inform your partner yourself, however, if you feel uncomfortable doing so, we can inform them anonymously.

We will either text or call them and inform them that they’ve been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with an STI and recommend getting tested. We will not disclose any of your information, or which clinic we’re texting/ calling from.

The types of referrals are called:

  • Patient referral – this is when you inform your partner yourself
  • Provider referral – this is when we anonymously contact your partner for you
How will the clinic follow up?

At later appointments, or on a follow up phone call, we will ask you if you have informed your recent sexual contacts. If they’ve been tested and/or treated, we’ll ask you whereabouts they took their test and/or got treatment.

Find out more about the experience of partner notification