OBJECTIVETo understand the status of standard medication of antiretroviral therapy and identify its correlationship with preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT).

METHODSQualitative and quantitative methods for measuring of standard medication towards antiretroviral therapy of PMTCT were used in a cross-sectional study of 167 pregnant women who had accessed to PMTCT services and 57 physicians providing service from January 2005 to June 2007 in 5 HIV epidemic counties in Yunnan province.

RESULTSA total of 167 mothers were recruited, of which 65.87% (110/167) demonstrated for standard medication. The percentage of rational selection of antivirus-therapy regimen was 88.02% (147/167). HIV positive mothers with rational using medicine during labor covered 81.37% (131/161). 87.42% (146/167) of women demonstrated good compliance. The main correlations with the standard medication level of HIV positive pregnant women and their infants were as follows: diagnose time (OR = 2.617; 95% CI: 1.184 - 5.783), place of delivery (OR = 0.064; 95% CI: 0.007 - 0.607), minorities (OR = 0.344; 95% CI: 0.162 - 0.730), understanding of HIV women for antiretroviral therapy (OR = 6.843; 95% CI: 1.449 - 32.312), and doctors' cognition about the regimen for antiretroviral therapy was not enough; 5 key knowledge points (purpose of PMTCT, the consequence of not requiring standard medication, the effect of knowing regimens, the relationship of CD4 levels and selected regimens, the side effect of the relevant medicine) score rate was 47.72% (136/285).

CONCLUSIONThe proportions of standard medication in PMTCT antiretroviral therapy were not high. Standard medication might be associated with multiple factors from doctors, patients and society. It is necessary to make some steps to improve standard medication of antiretroviral therapy in PMTCT.