Chlamydia control in Europe : Qualitative evaluation of the impact of the 2009 ECDC guidance document Chlamydia control in Europe

In 2011, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) commissioned a programme of work to improve knowledge about the impact of chlamydia infection and chlamydia control in European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) Member States. The aim of this project was to critically review and update the scientific evidence on the epidemiology and natural history of chlamydia and the clinical and cost-effectiveness of screening, update information about chlamydia prevention and control activities in EU/EEA Member States, and review the impact of the 2009 ECDC chlamydia control guidance. ECDC has published technical reports that summarise the findings of literature reviews, updating the evidence on the population prevalence of chlamydia, the effectiveness of screening, and the cost-effectiveness of screening, together with a narrative review of the risk of complications following chlamydia and the 2012 survey of chlamydia control and prevention activities in Member States. This technical report describes the component of the project that evaluates the use of the 2009 chlamydia control guidance by Member States. It includes a description of responses from Member States to questions in the 2012 survey about chlamydia control activities in EU/EEA Member States, an analysis of the users of the guideline and qualitative analysis of moderated discussions with experts from Member States about awareness of and experience with the guidance. This report concludes with evidence-based recommendations for the revision of the 2009 guidance document