Clinical Medicine-Infection, Infidelity, and Informed Patients

Abstract: It is likely that in a primary care career every physician will sooner or later hear the following: “And by the way, doctor, there is one other thing I’d like you to check while I’m here. About 10 days ago I had sex with a coworker, and now I’m having some discharge. I’ve had sex with my spouse once since being exposed, but since the discharge began I have avoided it. He [or she] is going to wonder what’s up soon, and I don’t want to give him [or her] any venereal disease.”