ABSTRACT
Anemia in HIV-infected individuals, still a common hematologic complication in the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era, is associated with shortened survival, increases in the rate of disease progression, and reduction in quality of life. Based on a thorough review of the literature, guidelines were developed for the assessment, diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of anemia in patients with HIV/AIDS by a consensus committee consisting of nurses from academia and clinical practice. A major goal of this committee is to increase awareness within the nursing community of the prevalence of anemia in HIV-infected patients and its impact on their lives. Anemia developed in close to 90% of HIV-infected patients before the introduction of HAART, and it is still found in up to 46% of patients in the HAART era. Another goal is to encourage screening for anemia and the adaptation of a proposed classification system of anemia based on a graded decrease in hemoglobin levels.
Subject(s)
Anemia , HIV Infections , Nursing Assessment , Quality of Life , Adolescent , Adult , Anemia/epidemiology , Anemia/etiology , Anemia/nursing , Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active/adverse effects , Female , HIV Infections/complications , HIV Infections/drug therapy , HIV Infections/mortality , Hematocrit , Hemoglobins , Humans , Male , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Prevalence , Reference Values , Severity of Illness Index , Survival RateSubject(s)
HIV Infections , Nurses , Social Support , Humans , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Societies, Nursing , United StatesSubject(s)
AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/drug therapy , AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/prevention & control , Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use , Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active/methods , AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/immunology , Adolescent , Adult , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , HumansSubject(s)
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/nursing , HIV Seropositivity , Nurses , Societies, Nursing , Humans , United StatesABSTRACT
The nurse practitioner can meet the multiple needs of people living with HIV disease. Given the broad scope and integration of services required to care for clients with HIV/AIDS, the skill of a nursing case manager is also an integral part of the health care team. Together, these nursing clinicians can enhance the quality of care provided to HIV-infected individuals as each plays numerous roles with specific competencies and skills. This article discusses primary care services and the role of health care providers in working with persons with HIV/AIDS.
Subject(s)
Case Management , HIV Infections/nursing , Nurse Practitioners , Patient Care Team , Primary Health Care , Female , Humans , Male , United StatesABSTRACT
The HIV epidemic and the social and clinical responses to it have changed dramatically in recent years in ways that significantly affect the nursing profession. In scope, the HIV epidemic has broadened demographically and geographically, shifting the burden of the epidemic and continuing to place stress on our health care and social service delivery systems. During the past 2 years, there have been clinical advances in the ability to treat HIV disease as a more chronic, manageable condition, making it more important than ever for infected individuals to know their serostatus. A recently available HIV-1 antibody test that uses oral mucosal transudate (OMT) fluid that compares favorably to serum in reliability, because it is based on the same enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay Western blot algorithm, has become available. The OMT test for HIV involves simple, safe, and non-invasive specimen collection that offers clinical and outreach advantages to nurses in AIDS care who provide counseling and testing.
