With whom did you have sex? Evaluation of a partner notification training for STI professionals using motivational interviewing

ObjectiveTo enhance partner notification (PN) practices in Dutch STI clinics, a PN training using motivational interviewing as core strategy was offered to STI professionals and evaluated.MethodsThe effectiveness of PN training on professionals’ attitude, self-efficacy, skills and behavior toward PN, was examined using within-subject and between-subject comparison. Before the training and at three months follow-up, a questionnaire was completed by the intervention group (n = 54) and a non-random control group (n = 37).ResultsIn the within-subject comparison, positive changes were observed in self-efficacy, skills, and PN behaviors (all p < .05), but not in attitudes toward PN. When we examined differences in change-scores between the intervention and control group, self-efficacy was no longer significant.ConclusionThe PN training significantly improved PN skills and -behavior, but had no effect on professionals’ attitudes or self-efficacy toward PN. The selection of a convenience control sample seems to offer a more rigorous test of hypotheses than pre–post evaluation only.Practice implicationsThe beneficial effect of PN training of STI professionals seems to support a wider roll-out of the training to all STI clinics in the Netherlands, although effects on the number of partners notified and transmissions prevented need to be examined in future research.