HIV is Now a Manageable Long-Term Condition, But What Makes it Unique? A Qualitative Study Exploring Views About Distinguishing Features from Multi-Professional HIV Specialists in North West England

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• 作者：Pauline Jelliman ; MSc ; RN ; BA ; ^{pauline.jelliman@liverpoolch.nhs.uk}Author Vitae ; Lorna Porcellato ; PhDAuthor Vitae
• 关键词：distinguishing features ; HIV ; long-term conditions ; qualitative research
• 刊名：Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：January-February 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：28
• 期：1
• 页码：165-178
• 全文大小：190 K
• 卷排序：28

文摘

HIV is evolving from a life-threatening infection to a long-term, manageable condition because of medical advances, radical changes in health and social care policy, and the impact of an aging population. However, HIV remains complex, presenting unique characteristics distinguishing it from other long-term conditions (LTCs). Our aim in this qualitative descriptive study was to identify and explore these features in the context of LTCs. A focus group (FG) method was used to gather the views and experiences of multi-professional HIV specialists who worked in North West England. Twenty-four staff participated in FGs (n = 3), which were audio recorded, manually transcribed, and thematically analyzed. We found four main themes: (a) stigma, (b) challenges faced by HIV specialists, (c) lack HIV-related knowledge, and (d) unique features, termed “stand alone.” We concluded that these distinguishing features hindered full recognition and acceptance of HIV as an LTC.