Coordination of care for pediatric AIDS: the development of a Maternal-Child HIV Task Force.

As of 1988, 78% of all reported pediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections were secondary to maternal transmission. With blood screening and treatment of Factor 8 essentially eliminating transfusion as a vector for HIV, the issues of obstetrical and pediatric HIV infections are functionally identical. This paper describes one institution's approach to the coordination of clinical care and research between obstetrics and pediatrics. The development of a Maternal-Child HIV Task Force has facilitated cooperative submission of studies, and the mutual education and support required to sustain competent and caring clinical care. Direct patient care is similarly coordinated through the Maternal-Child Immunology Clinic, where an interdisciplinary group of medical and clinical specialists provide comprehensive care for these children and mothers. Suggestions are made for other institutions encountering similar issues.