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Abstract ISSUES: To ensure that high-quality data are obtained regarding efficacy of microbicides in preventing STIs in woman, STIs diagnosed at screening should be adequately treated. DESCRIPTION: The following problems were encountered in treating women for STIs, and we list the measures that have since been employed in reducing the problems at the Isipingo site, Durban: Difficulty is experienced in calling women back for treatment due to inadequate or incorrect locator information given by the participants. Hence participants are given written reminders to bring back comprehensive directions to their homes and contact numbers at the subsequent visit. Some medication cannot be taken on an empty stomach, and to ensure treatment is taken, study staff need to observe the woman taking medication while at clinic. Participants often come to the clinic without having eaten anything. To ensure treatment is taken, petty cash is kept at site to buy bread to give to the participants before taking treatment. To minimize reinfection rates, the participants’ partners are offered treatment. Partner notification cards are issued depending on the number of partners the participant has. However, the participants are not always honest about the number of partners they have, and reinfection cannot be avoided. Participants are reluctant to give their partner cards due to fear. Sometimes partners do not go to the clinic even if they are given cards due to long queues in the public clinics and the stigma attached to being seen in an STI clinic. Some women do not get feedback on whether the partner did go for treatment. Participants are therefore asked to bring their partners to the clinic for treatment. With syphilis treatment the woman have to return for subsequent doses, but some women only come to the clinic once and do not return for the other doses. A treatment log was developed to ensure that these women are followed up telephonically to remind them to return for the subsequent doses. CONCLUSION: Treatment of STIs is important in ongoing clinical trials. Measures developed to ensure treatment appear to have an impact on ensuring adequate treatment of STIs in the trial, and they seem to be effective. Poster Session
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