Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107739

Jeanette Lyons, BA¹, Frances Margolin, MA¹, Ray Kang, MS¹, Jennifer K. Stanger¹, Heidi Whitmore, MPP¹, Jeremy Pickreign, MS², and Margaret Lampe, RN, MPH³. (1) Health Research and Educational Trust, One N. Franklin, 30th floor, Chicago, IL 60606, 312-422-2631, jlyons@aha.org, (2) AHA-Health Research and Educational Trust, 325 7th Street N.W, Washington, DC 20004, (3) Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention-Epidemiology, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 1600 Clifiton Rd, MS E-45, Atlanta, GA 30329

Mother-to-child HIV transmission has been dramatically reduced in the US. To totally eliminate perinatal HIV transmission, hospitals need policies that promote universal HIV testing of pregnant women. To date, there is no detailed information about hospital policies relating to HIV testing of pregnant women. A 2004 survey assessed current HIV testing policies in US hospitals. Data on policies in prenatal care (PNC), labor and delivery (L&D), and neonatal nurseries were collected. The survey was sent to all US hospitals reporting at least 300 births. The response rate was 50% (n=1250). Hospitals were grouped by statewide pediatric AIDS rates (low = 0 to 0.9 per 100,000; medium = 1.0 to 2.9; high = 3.0 or higher). Four out of five hospitals providing prenatal care in medium (77%) and high (81%) prevalence states have policies for HIV testing in PNC, significantly more than in low prevalence states (60%). While fewer hospitals have policies for HIV testing in L&D, the pattern holds. In low prevalence states, 18% of hospitals have policies; in medium prevalence states, 41%; high prevalence states, 52%. Hospitals also need policies for clinically managing HIV-positive women and their infants. Here hospitals in high prevalence states are significantly less likely to have no policy at all (10%) than those in medium (31%) or low (29%) prevalence states. There is a clear association between statewide pediatric AIDS prevalence and establishment of hospital HIV testing policies. We must consider context when working with hospitals to adopt policies that could eliminate perinatal HIV transmission.

Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will be able to

1)Articulate the rationale for universal HIV testing of pregnant women;
• Articulate the reasons for HIV testing in labor and delivery and in the nursery;
• Understand the need to tailor messages regarding policy change to each hospital's context.

Keywords: Women and HIV/AIDS, Perinatal Health

Related Web page: www.hret.org/hret/programs/hivtransm.html

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.