Feasibility of named antenatal HIV screening in an inner city population

Abstract

The object of this study was to assess the resource use, feasibility, uptake and consumers' perspective of introducing routine named human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing into an inner city hospital antenatal clinic (St Thomas Hospital, part of Guy's and St Thomas Hospital Trust). Following the introduction of a new service offering routine named HIV testing at booking appointments, the length of the appointments were recorded over a three-month period and compared with appointment lengths in the previously existing service. Women being offered routine named HIV testing were asked to complete a questionnaire before and after their appointment to assess knowledge, attitudes and acceptability of HIV testing. Subjects were three-hundred-and-eighty-one pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic for their booking appointment. There was no significant difference in the length of the booking appointments following the introduction of offering routine named HIV testing. One-hundred-and-fifty-eight women (42%) consented to testing with no positive results detected. There was a significant rise in the uptake of the test over the three-month period. No other variables (demographics, perceived risk, having read the leaflet) were predictive of uptake. Anxiety scores were significantly less after the booking appointment. Routine named HIV testing was feasibly introduced into a hospital antenatal clinic with minimum resource implications. Further study is needed to monitor the ongoing uptake rate and identification of HIV-positive women before a decision can be made as to the long-term benefit of this new service. Women considered it acceptable to be offered the HIV test and were less anxious after their appointments.