Clinical Outcomes of Infants Born to HIV-Positive Mothers Following the Implementation of Care Guidelines at Ranong Hospital

Abstract

This was a retrospective descriptive study aiming to investigate the clinical outcomes following the implementation of care guidelines for infants born to HIV-positive mothers at Ranong Hospital. Data were collected from the medical records of 103 infants born to HIV-positive mothers who received services at Ranong Hospital between October 1, 2017, and September 30, 2024. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and the Chi-square test for association.

Results demonstrated significant improvement in the quality of care after the implementation of the One-Page care guideline in a subgroup of 50 infants during the fiscal years 2020–2024. The rate of receiving prophylactic antiretroviral drugs according to the treatment plan increased to 100%. Furthermore, the rates of HIV DNA PCR testing at specified ages, receiving formula feeding, growth and developmental assessment, and follow-up attendance all reached 86%. Additionally, the rate of mother-to-child HIV transmission, the rate of confirmed HIV infection at 18 months of age, and the rate of complications were significantly associated with the use of the guidelines (p-value < .05). Conversely, the mortality rate showed no statistically significant association with the guidelines (p-value > .05). The findings indicate that the newly developed care guideline effectively elevated the quality of care for infants born to HIV-positive mothers to meet the established standards.