Inadequate syphilis screening among women with prenatal care in a community with a high syphilis incidence.
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to evaluate the extent to which pregnant women in a community with a high syphilis incidence were screened for syphilis according to standard recommendations of twice during prenatal care and at labor and delivery.


METHODS
Labor and delivery records from 4 hospitals in Miami-Dade County, Florida, were abstracted to obtain maternal and prenatal care characteristics and syphilis screening practices.


RESULTS
Of the 1991 women, records indicated that 1655 (83%) were screened at least once during prenatal care, 220 (11%) were screened twice during prenatal care before delivery, and 184 (9%) were screened twice during prenatal care and at delivery. Attending a private clinic, having more than adequate prenatal care and having private insurance were associated with not being screened at least twice before delivery.


CONCLUSIONS
Few women were screened according to standard recommendations, and provider or institutional-related factors affected adequacy of screening.
Trepka
Mary Jo
MJ
Office of Epidemiology and Disease Control, Miami-Dade County Health Department, Miami, FL 33199, USA. trepkam@fiu.edu
Bloom
Sharon A
SA
Zhang
Guoyan
G
Kim
Sunny
S
Nobles
Robert E
RE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000592:standards; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000592:standards; D008499:Medical Records; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013587:Syphilis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D013588:Syphilis Serodiagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*