Funders:
The Ian Potter Foundation 
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Ian Potter Foundation, whose funding made this work possible.
 
Collaborators:    
Aims:

To strengthen the capacity of the Northern Territory health workforce - particularly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce - to effectively test, manage, treat, and prevent syphilis, while adapting and evaluating a proven education model from the Managing Hepatitis B program for use in STI contexts.

Objectives: 
  • Translate and adapt the Managing Hepatitis B education model to the STI/syphilis context
  • Deliver culturally safe, evidence-based syphilis education tailored to the NT context
  • Strengthen clinical knowledge and practical skills in testing, staging, treatment, and follow-up
  • Support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce leadership in syphilis response
  • Progress formal accreditation with NAATSIHWP
  • Develop a micro-credential pathway in partnership with Charles Darwin University (CDU)
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of the program using mixed methods (questionnaires, interviews, and surveillance data)
  • Assess changes in testing, treatment, and follow-up practices using pre-, mid-, and post-program surveillance data
Summary:

The PARTNER NT Managing Syphilis Education Program is a workforce development initiative responding to the ongoing syphilis outbreak in the Northern Territory. Originally designed as a broader STI education program, the project was refined to focus specifically on syphilis following advice from the Infectious Diseases Indigenous Reference Group (ID IRG) and in response to the current outbreak.

The program adapts a successful education model developed through the Managing Hepatitis B program and applies it to the STI context. It delivers culturally safe, face-to-face training tailored to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce, alongside complementary sessions for non-Indigenous clinicians.

The program includes a strong evaluation component, using questionnaires, interviews, and routine surveillance data to assess changes in knowledge, confidence, and clinical practice. Pre-, mid-, and post-program data are used to explore shifts in testing, treatment, and follow-up over time.

The program is also progressing accreditation with NAATSIHWP and exploring micro-credentialing with CDU to support recognised workforce development pathways.

 

Implications for policy and practice: 
  • Provides evidence on the effectiveness of workforce education in improving STI clinical practice
  • Demonstrates how education programs can be linked with surveillance data to assess real-world impact
  • Supports implementation of national and NT syphilis outbreak response strategies
  • Strengthens culturally safe, accredited workforce development pathways
  • Informs future investment in workforce education as a key outbreak response strategy
Our research has found:  
  • Mixed-methods evaluation (qualitative feedback + surveillance data) provides a more complete understanding of program impact
  • Early findings suggest improvements in participant knowledge, confidence, and clinical decision-making
  • Linking education to surveillance data is feasible and valuable for assessing system-level change
  • Culturally appropriate, co-designed education increases engagement and uptake
  • There is strong interest in accredited and recognised training pathways
Chief Investigators
Dr Kelly Hosking and Dr Sean Taylor
 
Project Manager:
Hannah Reedy
 
Contact info :

hannah.reedy@menzies.edu.au  
managingsyphilis@menzies.edu.au 

Project Dates:

March 2024 - March 2029
 

Health services and organisations across the Northern Territory can register staff to attend upcoming Managing Syphilis training courses. Staff are typically invited to participate through clinic managers, the NT Syphilis IMT, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs), and primary health care networks. The program prioritises participation from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce.

As part of the program evaluation, participants may be invited to complete questionnaires or take part in interviews to share their experiences of the training. This helps us understand what works well and improve future delivery.

If your service is interested in hosting a course or would like to be involved in the program or evaluation, please contact the Project Manager.