Sexual partner testing for HIV to eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission: a needs assessment in an urban hospital community clinic

OBJECTIVE: To characterize pregnant patients’ knowledge, attitudes and preferences regarding antenatal HIV testing for themselves and their sexual partners. STUDY DESIGN: Observational, mixed methods study of HIV-negative pregnant women from a university-based urban clinic. Participants completed an anonymous survey about HIV testing for themselves and their partners. Descriptive statistics, bivariable analyses, multivariable logistic regression and qualitative thematic analysis were utilized. RESULTS: 142 patients (mean age 28.6 ± 5.5 years) participated. A majority (57.7%) were married or partnered, and 92.9% reported having at least one current sexual partner. While a majority (62.8%) reported their partner had a prior HIV test, and 93.0% of these women were aware of test results, only 20.7% reported partner testing had occurred in the past 6 months. Women who had a prior HIV test, who were older or who were non-white were more likely to be aware of their partner’s HIV status. A majority (66.9%) of women desired knowledge of their partner’s current status and 76.0% believed their partners would like to know his HIV status; in addition, 74% were interested in receiving partner testing at the site of prenatal care. Qualitative analysis demonstrated health concerns and believing HIV knowledge is important to the relationship were motivators for desiring partner testing. CONCLUSIONS: In this urban community, a majority of pregnant women do not know HIV test results for their sexual partner during the current pregnancy. Women desired to know their partner’s HIV status and were receptive to partner testing at the site of prenatal care or other locations. Partner testing may be a critical step towards elimination of seroconversion during pregnancy and maternal-to-child HIV transmission.