Abstract

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD continue to become major public health problems. Most of STD patients present with urethral or vaginal discharge, even though the causes may be of different micro-organisms. The Syndromic Approach (SA) is an algorithm for STD management currently recommended by the WHO. Diagnosis are made based on clinical signs and symptoms using a certain flowchard-without laboratory confirmation, and all possible causes will be treated. IEC are also given and the patients' partners are notified. The East Java Provincial health office has trained Puskesmas' and hospitals' doctors and paramedics on this new STD management approach.The objecttive of this study is to evaluate the implementation of SA in some Puskesmas and private clinics which personnels have been trained before. Using direct observation, document research, interviews and focus group discussions, data and information on the benefit of SA, the obstacles in implementing SA, and recommendations to improve the health providers' performance in STD management are collected. Results are hopefully used as inpc;ts in improving the STD control program, provincially as well as nationally.