AIDSWEEKLY Plus; Monday, October 26, 1998
Daniel J. DeNoon, Senior Editor
Moreover, the committee recommends that all women found to be infected with the AIDS virus should be given zidovudine (AZT) to prevent transmission to their child.
The sweeping recommendations lay the groundwork for the first comprehensive U.S. effort, on a national level, to create a system for the diagnosis and treatment of HIV disease.
Recommendations by IOM committees generally are endorsed by the IOM at large. IOM recommendations usually become U.S. public health policy.
The IOM Committee on Perinatal Transmission of HIV is comprised of 13 experts in the fields of pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, preventive medicine, women's health, social and behavioral sciences, public health practice, epidemiology, program evaluation, health services research, bioethics, and public health law.
The IOM committee's verbatim recommendations, released on October 15, 1998, are as follows:
* The committee's central recommendation is for the adoption of a national policy of universal HIV testing, with patient notification, as a routine component of prenatal care.
* The committee recommends that health departments, professional organizations, medical specialty boards, regional perinatal HIV centers, and health plans increase their emphasis on education of prenatal care providers about the value of universal HIV testing and about avenues of referral for patients who test positive.
* The committee recommends that professional organizations update their clinical practice guidelines to facilitate universal HIV testing, with patient notification, as a routine component of prenatal care.
* The committee recommends that all health care plans and providers develop, adopt, and evaluate clinical policies to facilitate universal prenatal HIV testing.
* The committee recommends that health care plans and providers adopt performance measures for a policy of universal HIV testing, with patient notification, as a routine component of prenatal care.
* The committee recommends that health care purchasers adopt contract language supporting a policy of universal HIV testing, with patient notification, as a routine component of prenatal care.
* The committee recommends efforts to improve coordination of care and access to high-quality HIV interventions and treatment for HIV positive pregnant women.
* The committee encourages the development of outreach and education programs to address pregnant women's concerns about HIV testing and treatment.
* The committee recommends that federal funding for state and local efforts to prevent perinatal transmission, including both prenatal testing and care of HIV infected women, be maintained.
* The committee recommends that a regional system of perinatal HIV prevention and treatment centers be established.
* The committee recommends that federal, state, and local public health agencies maintain appropriate surveillance data on HIV infected women and children as an essential component of national efforts to prevent perinatal transmission of HIV.
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