Nursing Care: HIV Infections

Nursing Care HIV / AIDS is a condition that has taken on pandemic proportions. Nursing and other health care professionals are therefore highly concerned not only with the current care of patients suffering from the condition, but also with new advancements in this care. This is why articles such as "CE: Nursing in the Fourth Decade of the HIV Epidemic" by Starr and Springer (2014) are such an important part of nursing practice today.

The nurse is required to not only have a thorough knowledge of his or her profession and current practice, but also of research advancements that can improve the lives of HIV positive and AIDS sufferers. This is particularly the case for this condition, since there is currently no known cure. Starr and Springer's article provides some very important information on the advances within medical science and the field of AIDS research. It therefore provides great benefits for nursing practice and future research in the field.

The premise of the article is that nurses have had a significantly positive effect on the lives of HIV / AIDS sufferers as the disease is managed today. People with HIV 30 years ago, for example, considered it to be a virtual death sentence. Today, however, it is a chronic but manageable condition. It is only through the tireless work of nurses to advocate and educate that the disease today is no longer seen as a harbinger of death or indeed is no longer as attached to stigma as it was before.

Nurses have accomplished this by continuous education -- providing this education to the public as well as educating themselves. Starr and Springer emphasize that nurses must never stop the positive impact they have had on patients and the general public when it comes to HIV education and prevention practices. The article begins by offering general information about the nature of HIV and AIDS diagnoses, how it is transmitted, and the risk factors for the condition.

Towards the end of the introductory section, the authors note that poverty is one of the greatest demographic risk factors for HIV in the United States. The problem has become sufficiently significant in the country that the Office of National AIDS Policy has published the National HIV / AIDS Strategy for the country in 2010.

The areas addressed in the policy are focused upon prevention in order to decrease new infections, provide a higher level of access to care for those already suffering from the condition, and to reduce disparities in the health of those suffering from HIV infection. The authors emphasize, however, that this evidence of public awareness and official policy does not mean that the importance of nurses in this role has been reduced. In fact, nurses' roles remain vital in the prevention and mitigation of the effects if AIDS in the country.

This is emphasized throughout the rest of the article, where the authors describe the various roles nurses can play in screening for HIV, care, ensuring adherence to therapy, preventing new infections, and so on. In this way, nurses play a collaborative role with policy makers to assist the public not only by means of education, but also by means of practical care, advice, and support.

One important lesson from the article is that rapid HIV testing can occur at the site of care, and that patients can have their results as early as before leaving the clinic. Testing methods today are therefore far more efficient and less stressful for patients. Once a diagnosis is made, the time between infection and treatment has been greatly reduced, increasing the effectiveness of treatment and management of the condition.

Another lesson that can be learned from the article is the nurse's role in the concept known as the "cascade of care." The term refers to a graphic representation of the number of people living with the HIV virus at every stage of the infection. The nurse plays a vital role in his or her practical connection, especially with newly diagnosed patients. The first important step is to connect the patient with a specialist in HIV care.

After this step, it is also important to encourage adherence to the treatment, since such adherence provides the best possible prognosis for sufferers. One of the most important ways of mitigating the growth of HIV infection is by encouraging testing. Nurses play a primary role in this. According to the article, some 18% of HIV infected people are unaware of their status.

They are therefore neither aware of the life-saving treatments they can use to enhance the quality of their own lives, nor of the risk they pose to their current or future partners. Such unawareness can be fatal to the individual and to others, since the infection of one person can present the risk of exponential other infections. Nurses therefore have a vital role in educating the public regarding the importance of testing to reduce the risk of new infections and to prevent early death among those who are infected.

Another rather shocking fact from the article is that only 66% of currently infected people are involved in.