A Systematic Review of Obstetric Mistreatment Among Women Living With HIV.

Most included studies were qualitative, so the review describes experiences more than it measures how common they are. Some women were interviewed years after birth, so memory may have affected what was reported. Studies defined and measured mistreatment differently, and only three quantitative studies reported any mistreatment prevalence. Because outcome definitions varied widely, the review did not combine prevalence estimates into one pooled figure. The search may have missed studies because different words were used for mistreatment. All qualitative studies failed to address how the researchers' own position may have influenced findings. Most studies recruited women who had given birth in hospitals, so the findings may not apply to home or community births.

The authors reported no funding and no conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that HIV status alone causes more obstetric mistreatment. The Ghanaian and Tanzanian studies found no significant association between HIV status and any mistreatment, and the review mostly describes women's reported experiences rather than tested interventions.