Integrated Prenatal Care for Women Living With HIV: Primary Care Outcomes in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

McKayla Cozart; Della Magnusson; Prosanta Mondal; Kali Gartner

doi:10.1016/j.jogc.2022.01.009

Integrated Prenatal Care for Women Living With HIV: Primary Care Outcomes in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2022 May;44(5):521-526. doi: 10.1016/j.jogc.2022.01.009. Epub 2022 Jan 31.

Authors

McKayla Cozart¹, Della Magnusson², Prosanta Mondal³, Kali Gartner⁴

Affiliations

¹ College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK.
² Westside Community Clinic, Saskatoon, SK.
³ Clinical Research Support Unit, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK.
⁴ Department of Family Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK. Electronic address: kali.gartner@usask.ca.

PMID: 35114380
DOI: 10.1016/j.jogc.2022.01.009

Abstract

Saskatchewan has the highest rate of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in Canada. Of those newly diagnosed, 56% identify as female, 76% identify as Indigenous, and 71% report a history of intravenous drug use. These statistics are strikingly different compared with Canadian data. This brief communication describes prenatal care provided to women living with HIV at an interdisciplinary primary care clinic in Saskatchewan, demonstrating that, despite facing great barriers such as housing insecurity, substance use, and institutionalized racism, women living with HIV can have positive outcomes, including engagement in care and the prevention of perinatal HIV infection.

Keywords: HIV; Indigenous; health services; obstetrics; social determinants of health; substance-related disorders.

MeSH terms

Female
HIV Infections* / drug therapy
HIV Infections* / epidemiology
HIV Infections* / prevention & control
Humans
Pregnancy
Prenatal Care
Primary Health Care
Saskatchewan / epidemiology
Substance Abuse, Intravenous*