Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2002 Feb;7(2):81-4.
doi: 10.1093/pch/7.2.81.

Compliance with recommendations for routine HIV screening during pregnancy in Halifax

Stephanie J Côté  1 , Scott A Halperin
Affiliations

Compliance with recommendations for routine HIV screening during pregnancy in Halifax

Stephanie J Côté et al. Paediatr Child Health. 2002 Feb.

Abstract
in English, French

Background: The routine offering of testing for HIV during each pregnancy is recommended by various advisory bodies, including the Canadian Paediatric Society.

Objectives: To determine the proportion of women in Nova Scotia who were counselled about HIV and HIV testing during their pregnancies and to determine the proportion of those who underwent the blood test after counselling.

Methods: A Self-administered survey at the IWK Health Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia was performed. Questionnaires were distributed to 800 new mothers who delivered a child between March 10 and May 10, 2000. The questionnaire asked women for their ages, levels of education, history of previous deliveries, whether they had received counselling about HIV during their pregnancy, whether they were offered an HIV blood test and whether they underwent an HIV blood test.

Results: A total of 155 questionnaires were returned (response rate of 19.4%). The proportion of women who were counselled about HIV during their pregnancy was 65 of 155 (41.9%) (95% CI 34.1 to 49.7) and the proportion of those who were counselled who underwent the test was 47 of 65 (72.3%) (95% CI 65.3 to 79.3). There was a significant difference between the proportion counselled and history of previous deliveries (P=0.050), the proportion offered a test and their ages (P=0.028), and the proportion who had a test done and their ages (P=0.017).

Conclusions: There is inadequate compliance with the recommendation that all women be offered HIV testing during each pregnancy at the IWK Health Centre. Health care professionals involved in obstetrics need to be reminded of the importance of HIV counselling and testing during pregnancy. Further evaluation throughout Canada of the effect of HIV screening recommendations during pregnancy is advisable.

HISTORIQUE :: Divers organismes consultatifs, y compris la Société canadienne de pédiatrie, recommandent d’offrir systématiquement le dépistage du VIH à chaque grossesse.

OBJECTIFS :: Déterminer la proportion de femmes de Nouvelle-Écosse qui ont reçu de l’information au sujet du VIH et du dépistage du VIH pendant leur grossesse, et établir la proportion de ces femmes qui ont subi l’analyse sanguine par la suite.

MÉTHODOLOGIE :: Un sondage à remplir soi-même a été distribué au IWK Health Centre de Halifax, en Nouvelle-Écosse. Les questionnaires ont été remis à 800 nouvelles mères qui avaient accouché d’un enfant entre le 10 mars et le 10 mai 2000. Le questionnaire contenait des questions sur l’âge, le niveau de scolarité, les antécédents d’autres accouchements, la transmission ou non d’information sur le VIH pendant la grossesse, l’offre ou non d’une analyse sanguine pour dépister le VIH et l’exécution ou non du test de dépistage.

RÉSULTATS :: Au total, 155 questionnaires ont été retournés (taux de réponse de 19,4 %). La proportion de femmes ayant reçu de l’information au sujet du VIH pendant leur grossesse était de 65 sur 155 (41,9 %) (95 %, IC 34,1 à 49,7) et la proportion de celles qui avaient été informées et qui ont subi le test était de 47 sur 65 (72,3 %) (95 %, IC 65,3 à 79,3). On remarquait une différence importante entre la proportion de femmes informées et les antécédents d’autres accouchements (P=0,050), la proportion de celles à qui on a offert le test et l’âge (P=0,028), et la proportion de celles qui ont subi le test et l’âge (P=0,017).

CONCLUSIONS :: La recommandation d’offrir le test de dépistage du VIH à chaque grossesse est mal respectée au IWK Health Centre. Il faut rappeler aux professionnels de la santé qui participent aux soins obstétricaux l’importance de transmettre de l’information sur le VIH et sur le test de dépistage pendant la grossesse. Il serait utile de procéder à une évaluation plus approfondie, dans tout le Canada, sur l’effet de recommander ce dépistage pendant la grossesse.

Keywords: Counselling; HIV; Perinatal transmission; Pregnancy; Screening.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1)
Figure 1)
Flow diagram of results of a survey of HIV testing in women who delivered infants at the IWK Health Centre
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Health Canada HIV/AIDS Epi Update: Perinatal Transmission of HIV. May 2001. <www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpb/lcdc/bah/epi/peri_e.html>. (Version current at August 1, 2001)
    1. Connor EM, Sperling RS, Gleber R, et al. Reduction of maternal-infant transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 with zidovudine treatment. N Engl J Med. 1994;331:1173–80. - PubMed
    1. Reproductive Care Program of Nova Scotia . Guidelines for antenatal laboratory screening and testing and HIV counseling guidelines. Halifax: Reproductive Care Program of Nova Scotia; 1998.
    1. Oldenettel D, Dye T, Artal R. Prenatal HIV screening in pregnant women; a medical-legal review. Birth. 1997;24:165–72. - PubMed
    1. Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) Clinical Practice Guidelines. HIV Testing in Pregnancy. Jun, 1997. p. 62.