The Quality of Healthcare in HIV

The care paradigm has shifted in HIV infection as it has become a chronic condition. Comorbidities have increased and are occurring at earlier ages. For the first time in the disease’s history there is a first generation of people who are aging with HIV. There is a first generation of children who were born infected with HIV, who grew up and who are parents of HIV-negative children. There are regimens of 1 tablet per day and medications with few or no side effects. There is rapid community testing and community involvement to meet guidelines focused on early diagnosis. There is medication before there is illness and to prevent illness.
The circumstance of being sick or being sick has not changed. This condition continues to happen. The new condition in individual/family health marks and disorganizes all who go through it and have to face it in order to accept it. This circumstance can make the person more fragile, vulnerable and fearful (potentially disorganizing factors), and this requires nurses to be more sensitive, trained and more committed to integrity in the care of people living with HIV and people at risk of HIV.
People living with HIV infection continue to experience stigma and discrimination in healthcare settings. It is generally recognized that knowledge about HIV (or lack of it) shapes the attitudes of many health professionals. The quality of care provided is directly related to the adequate preparation of health professionals. And this depends on the development of essential skills, which must cover three specific elements: knowledge, skills and attitudes.
The quality and safety of care must be a priority and an absolute guarantee for those who are sick and who use healthcare teams. Accessibility to a differentiated and effective health team are important components for adaptive living to the new health condition.
The role of Nursing in the HIV can be extensive, with a wide scope, from prevention and screening, through the provision of care in all dimensions of care, and its implementation in different contexts, inside and outside the hospital.
A multidisciplinary team, which includes a nurse with differentiated knowledge and specialized skills, ensures person-centered care, with a focus on promoting positive responses at the individual level, disease prevention and health gains in the person as a whole, inserted in the family and community.