Implementing Couple's Human Immunodeficiency Virus Testing and Counseling in the Antenatal Care Setting

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases
• Reproductive Health

Background:

• Antenatal care settings offer a crucial opportunity for HIV prevention interventions.
• Couple's HIV testing and counseling (CHTC) can enhance partner communication and shared decision-making regarding sexual health.
• Understanding the implementation of CHTC in diverse clinical settings is essential for effective HIV control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the pilot implementation of couple's human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing and counseling within an antenatal care clinic in the United States.
• To assess the acceptability of CHTC among couples receiving antenatal care.
• To identify individual- and clinic-level barriers and facilitators to CHTC implementation.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study design was employed, recruiting couples from an urban antenatal care clinic.
• Data collection included assessments of relationship characteristics, HIV risk behaviors, sexual agreement concordance, and CHTC acceptability.
• Barriers and facilitators were evaluated at both individual and clinic levels.

Main Results:

• High acceptability (over 93/100) was reported for CHTC services.
• Concordant sexual agreements were associated with increased confidence in condom use and agreement for regular HIV testing.
• Individual barriers included male partner engagement and perceived low HIV risk, while clinic barriers involved training and integration challenges.

Conclusions:

• Couple's HIV testing and counseling is a highly acceptable intervention that can be successfully implemented in antenatal care settings.
• Addressing identified barriers is crucial for optimizing CHTC program delivery and uptake.
• CHTC programs can contribute to improved HIV prevention strategies within reproductive health services.