VOLUNTARY, NAMED TESTING FOR HIV IN A COMMUNITY-BASED ANTENATAL CLINIC - A PILOT-STUDY

Despite the increasing advantages of identifying HIV infection in preg nant women, only some 12% of HIV positive women attending antenatal cl inics in London have been identified by named testing. As virtually al l antenatal care will be community based within the next two to three years, we assessed the problems of introducing named HIV testing durin g pregnancy into the primary care setting. Planning the service took a considerable time and required the production of educational material for both staff and pregnant women and some reorganisation of procedur es. Over a one year period an uptake of 44% was noted. Several problem s were encountered including an average of 21 minutes needed to give i nformation on AIDS and HIV, an adverse effect on the midwife-mother re lationship, and anxiety (affecting both women and midwives). Possible solutions to this difficult problem are discussed.