Development and implementation of guidelines for STI and STD prevention in Germany
In December 2007, a task force was formed with more than a dozen German experts from different fields and backgrounds bringing together physicians, social scientists and researchers from various institutional backgrounds. This task force met nine times and communicated continuously through e-mails. It revised international literature incl. WHO and WAS publications and developed a tailor-made draft for German Prevention Guidelines. The Guidelines were presented and discussed at German conferences.
The work of the group culminated in six central guidelines. They come together with explanations. In 2010, the Guidelines were endorsed by the German STD Society. They were published by the German Robert-Koch-Institute (Epi Bull No. 35) as well as by the national magazine of pro familia (IPPF-member).
The Guidelines are to be used in trainings and workshops for prevention experts and should be a common basis for prevention efforts. Thus they will contribute to the improvement of sexual health for people living in Germany. The Guidelines can easily be adapted to other countries, as they are not perceived as static but as a dynamic framework for improving STI/STD prevention and sexual health in general.
