Healthcare Management for Pregnant Women Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus at Siriraj Hospital

Abstract

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been one of the global concerns. At the moment, owing to the development of better and newer anti-viral drugs as well as the great support provided by the Government of Thailand, pregnant women living with HIV receive an equal access to the sufficient standard of care, including free routine screening, medication, care and referral system; and social support as well as long term follow-up for children who are born to HIV-infected mothers. This results in the current low rate of new HIV infection cases aiming to the zero case in the year 2030. The 2021/2022 Thai National Guideline for HIV/AIDS provides information and management guidelines for all HIV-infected groups, including pregnant women. However, some obstetric part remains missing due to the lack of clear supporting evidence; or the practice guidelines from different countries are not similar due to each country’s resources and context. As such, the Siriraj clinical pathway has been developed with great collaboration from the Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Department of Nursing, the Department of Pediatrics, the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine and all related units to provide the best healthcare management to this population. And, it may also be applicable to other hospitals in Thailand.