z-logo
Premium
HIV care need not hamper maternity care: a descriptive analysis of integration of services in rural Malawi
Author(s) -
van den Akker T,
Bemelmans M,
Ford N,
Jemu M,
Diggle E,
Scheffer S,
Zulu I,
Akesson A,
Shea J
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
bjog: an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.157
H-Index - 164
eISSN - 1471-0528
pISSN - 1470-0328
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2011.03229.x
Subject(s) - medicine , population , incidence (geometry) , family planning , rural area , family medicine , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , postnatal care , transmission (telecommunications) , reproductive health , health care , fertility , descriptive statistics , developing country , pregnancy , prenatal care , pediatrics , obstetrics , environmental health , research methodology , statistics , physics , electrical engineering , mathematics , pathology , biology , economic growth , optics , economics , genetics , engineering
Please cite this paper as: van den Akker T, Bemelmans M, Ford N, Jemu M, Diggle E, Scheffer S, Zulu I, Akesson A, Shea J. HIV care need not hamper maternity care: a descriptive analysis of integration of services in rural Malawi. BJOG 2012;119:431–438. Objective  To evaluate the use of reproductive health care and incidence of paediatric HIV infection during the expansion of antiretroviral therapy and services for the prevention of mother‐to‐child transmission in rural Malawi, and the influence of integration of these HIV‐related services into general health services. Design  Descriptive analysis. Setting  Thyolo District, with a population of 600 000, an HIV prevalence of 21% and a total fertility rate of 5.7 in 2004. Population  Women attending reproductive health services care in 2005 and 2010. Methods  Review of facility records and databases for routine monitoring. Main outcome measures  Use of antenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, family planning and sexually transmitted infection services; incidence of HIV infection in infants born to mothers who received prevention of mother‐to‐child transmission care. Results  There was a marked increase in the uptake of perinatal care: pregnant women in 2010 were 50% more likely to attend at least one antenatal visit (RR 1.50, 95% CI 1.48–1.51); were twice as likely to deliver at a healthcare facility (RR 2.05, 95% CI 2.01–2.08); and were more than four times as likely to present for postpartum care (RR 4.40, 95% CI 4.25–4.55). Family planning consultations increased by 40% and the number of women receiving treatment for sexually transmitted infections doubled. Between 2007 and 2010, the number of HIV‐exposed infants who underwent testing for HIV went up from 421 to 1599/year, and the proportion testing positive decreased from 13.3 to 5.0%; infants were 62% less likely to test HIV positive (RR 0.38, 95% CI 0.27–0.52). Conclusions  During the expansion and integration of HIV care, the use of reproductive health services increased and the outcomes of infants born to HIV‐infected mothers improved. HIV care may be successfully integrated into broader reproductive health services.

This content is not available in your region!

Continue researching here.

Having issues? You can contact us here