Antenatal HIV testing: current problems, future solutions. survey of uptake in one London hospital
BMJ 1998; 316 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.316.7127.270 (Published 24 January 1998) Cite this as: BMJ 1998;316:270
- Teresa A Duffy, research midwifea,
- Charles D A Wolfe, senior lecturerb,
- Claire Varden, assistant statisticianb,
- Jane Kennedy, midwife counsellorb,
- Jane Kennedy, midwife counsellora,
- Ian L Chrystie, lecturerc,
- Jangu E Banatvala, professor of clinical virologyc
- a Department of Midwifery, Guy's and St Thomas's NHS Trust, St Thomas's Hospital, London SE1 7EH
- b Public Health Medicine, United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas's Hospitals, London SE1 7EH
- Department of Virology, United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas's Hospitals, London SE1 7EH
- Correspondence to: Professor Banatvala
- Accepted 10 December 1997
Introduction
Pregnant women attending Guy's and St Thomas's Hospitals Trust have one of the highest prevalence rates for HIV-1 in inner London (0.53% in 1996).1 In 1992 we showed that this was associated with African ethnic origin.2 However, despite the Department of Health's recommendations that named HIV testing be made available to all pregnant women in areas of relatively high prevalence, uptake in our trust is disappointingly low—about 30%—as elsewhere in inner London. In 1995, throughout London, only 26 of 205 (13%) HIV positive pregnant women had been identified antenatally.3 Most were therefore almost certainly unable to benefit from recent advances in treatment and in the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV.
Subjects, methods, and results
This paper describes uptake of HIV testing among pregnant women between 1991 and 1996 and includes a detailed survey of 789 women, of whom 428 attended antenatal clinics at Guy's Hospital, 310 attended six …