An integrated educational approach to preventing perinatal transmission of HIV

Inova Juniper Program (IJP) has provided medical, mental health, and case management services to residents of northern Virginia with HIV and their affected family members since 1987. The education team for the program provides HIV education for health care professionals through a subcontract with the Pennsylvania/MidAtlantic AIDS Education and Training Center (PAMA). From 1997 to 2002 there was an increase of 39.2% in the number of women served by IJP. Today, 37.5% of Juniper's Program clients are women. Of these women, 35.3% are of childbearing age, 14-49 years old. In October of 1998 the Inova Health System seized the opportunity to improve coordination of services offered among its various clinics and to provide an integrated approach in managing HIV from prenatal through post-partum. The first meeting of the stakeholders included representatives of IJP, pediatrics (including the clinic and neonatology), Family Medicine, OB (including the clinic and perinatology), and private infectious diseases physicians. Efforts to improve services included a range of mechanisms such as development of written protocols for clinical management, concurrent care for the HIV-exposed infant, patient education, community outreach, and provider education. The Inova Juniper Program education team provides training, educational sessions, and materials for the attending staff and rotating residents of the medical specialties involved. In addition to offering education for OB/GYN residents, providing clinical consultation for nurse case managers, and providing nursing fellows with up-to-date guidelines and recommendations, IJP has developed and produced a laminated poster for exam rooms which has been distributed nationwide (attached).