Experienced nurses require HIV education at all levels of care

Webinar on HIV.

Experienced nurses are calling for HIV education at all levels of care to improve care for these patients and combat stigma in the health care system.

As indicated in the latest HIV and AIDS surveillance report in Spain, almost half of new HIV diagnoses are detected late. Have specialists who are experts in the field of HIV. in all areas of health care, as well as ending stigma and implementing proactive prevention through consultation is one of the most important challenges facing the health system today.

This became known at the webinar “HIV is in question: from diagnosis to chronicity”, organized by the Institute of Higher Medical Education (ISFOS) of the General Nursing Council in collaboration with Gilead, where HIV expert nurses and patient representatives emphasized the need to continue the fight to raise awareness of HIV among the population.

“Nurses play an important role in the individual care of these people, as well as their families and the wider community. HIV doesn’t just affect certain people; anyone can get it. Scientific evidence has taught us that HIV infection often causes premature aging in those affected. Relieving possible symptoms, adherence to treatment and resolving any doubts associated with the diagnosis are essential to improve your daily life,” says Pilar Fernandez, Director of ISFOS.

Identify cases

The importance of early case detection to stop transmission, as well as early treatment, is key to realizing that undetectable HIV equals undetectable HIV. And this is something that the public, as well as healthcare workers themselves, should know. Support from experienced nurses at diagnosis helps avoid future mental health problems and helps prevent other types of comorbidities that may arise over the years.

“When we talk about a patient with HIV, we are talking about a chronic patient whom we know a lot, and empathy, communication and trust with him are necessary. They often come for consultation, and HIV itself causes them the least problems. We need to have an open consultation with the patient, the family and the whole team, because this is unthinkable without the participation of a multidisciplinary team and, above all, ensuring continuity of care. It is very important to have an experienced nurse figure in specific HIV treatment units,” explains Rosa Maria Badia, nurse consultant at the HIV-AIDS unit of the Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona.

Grade

Thus, Silvia Rodríguez, a nurse in charge of sexually transmitted diseases at the Alvaro Cunqueiro University Hospital in Vigo, notes that “nurses must assess the patient in the biological, psychological and social sphere, and also taking into account his environment, knowing whether they are lonely if they belong to a more vulnerable group… We provide comprehensive care and then provide health education and explain to them or their families important aspects such as modes of transmission, trying to destroy all those myths that still exist day. . . The first people they see after diagnosis are us, and a lot depends on how welcome and understood patients feel so that they want to come back and we ensure commitment to advice and treatment.”

In addition to expert professionals, having basic knowledge about HIV in all departments will help avoid stigma and improve the quality of care during consultations.

“We live in a time when patients with HIV are cared for by a system that is not yet ready to respond to a chronic disease, because it is more concerned with the disease than with the patient. If we are to move towards a holistic and person-centred model of care, the current model will need to change. Without a doubt, training at all levels of care is important to prevent stigmatization of people with HIV, including in health centers. I believe it is imperative that this training be added to the study of nursing and medicine. The student should begin to become familiar with this in the faculty,” says Juan Sebastian Hernandez, coordinator of the HIV Treatment Task Force (GTT).

Rosa Maria Badia takes a similar line, noting that when it comes to HIV, “we remained anchored many years ago.” “Additionally, we have been facing the problem for over four decades, and it is stigmatized because it is a major barrier to diagnosis, prevention and treatment. HIV is one of the diseases that has developed most at the medical level, but less at the social level,” he concludes.

And it is this teaching that experienced nurses and patients hope and wish for society to continue to evolve both within and outside of healthcare, because despite advances and knowledge about HIV, there are still many people who contribute to the stigma. .