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. 2013 May 16;8(5):e63328.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063328. Print 2013.

Integration of antiretroviral therapy services into antenatal care increases treatment initiation during pregnancy: a cohort study

Kathryn Stinson  1 , Karen Jennings, Landon Myer
Affiliations

Integration of antiretroviral therapy services into antenatal care increases treatment initiation during pregnancy: a cohort study

Kathryn Stinson et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Objectives: Initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) during pregnancy is critical to promote maternal health and prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT). The separation of services for antenatal care (ANC) and ART may hinder antenatal ART initiation. We evaluated ART initiation during pregnancy under different service delivery models in Cape Town, South Africa.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using routinely collected clinic data. Three models for ART initiation in pregnancy were evaluated ART 'integrated' into ANC, ART located 'proximal' to ANC, and ART located some distance away from ANC ('distal'). Kaplan-Meier methods and Poisson regression were used to examine the association between service delivery model and antenatal ART initiation.

Results: Among 14 617 women seeking antenatal care in the three services, 30% were HIV-infected and 17% were eligible for ART based on CD4 cell count <200 cells/µL. A higher proportion of women started ART antenatally in the integrated model compared to the proximal or distal models (55% vs 38% vs 45%, respectively, global p = 0.003). After adjusting for age and gestation at first ANC visit, women who at the integrated service were significantly more likely to initiate ART antenatally (rate ratio 1.33; 95% confidence interval: 1.09-1.64) compared to women attending the distal model; there was no difference between the proximal and distal models in antenatal ART initiation however (p = 0.704).

Conclusions: Integration of ART initiation into ANC is associated with higher levels of ART initiation in pregnancy. This and other forms of service integration may represent a valuable intervention to enhance PMTCT and maternal health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: Co-author Landon Myer is an editor for PLOS ONE. The authors confirm that this does not alter their adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. PMTCT Cascade depicting pregnant women accessing the three antenatal service models: HIV testing and ART eligibility.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Kaplan-Meier failure estimates of time to treatment in women who initiated ART in pregnancy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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