New
HRSA Guide for HIV/AIDS Clinical Care
SUMMARY
An updated version of the Health Resources and Services
Administration (HRSA) Guide for HIV/AIDS Clinical Care
is now available free online. |
Below
is an edited excerpt from a HRSA press release describing
the new guide.
HRSA
Guide for HIV/AIDS Clinical Care Now Available Online
The
Guide for HIV/AIDS Clinical Care, a comprehensive roadmap
for physicians, nurse-practitioners, dentists and other clinicians
on how best to manage the long-term care of patients with
HIV/AIDS, is now available online.
Produced by the Health Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA), the updated volume covers more than 90 topics and
provides guidance on a broad range of clinical care issues,
including testing and assessment, health care maintenance
and disease prevention, oral health, antiretroviral medications,
and more.
"Providing
care and treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS is a key
goal for our agency," said HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield,
PhD, RN. "The Guide for HIV/AIDS Clinical Care
is precisely the kind of information that we strive to disseminate
as widely as possible, so that we can share our expertise,
stimulate ideas and encourage best practices for those working
with this community."
Among
the major trends identified in the guide:
 |
Many
patients continue to be identified when they are in the
"late stages" of the disease and have developed
other health problems, making their care and treatment
more complex, especially as they live longer; |
|
Expansion
of routine HIV screening in primary care offices and clinics
means more patients are being identified by clinicians
who have limited experience with the disease; |
|
Shortages
in the health care workforce -- particularly in rural
areas -- and the retirements of senior clinicians equates
to fewer "front line providers" who know how
to manage the long-term needs of those living with the
virus.
|
"Positive
change on such a massive scale over the last 30 years -- including
significantly extended life expectancy, thanks to advances
in antiretroviral medication -- brings with it new demands
on clinicians. Given the long-term implications for those
living with the virus there is no better time for a comprehensive
guide book to provide easy access to crucial facts for a busy
clinician," said Dr. Laura Cheever, deputy associate
administrator for HRSA's HIV/AIDS Bureau.
The Guide is one in a series of HIV/AIDS protocols
that HRSA has developed to assist providers in applying best
practices in clinical management. Funded by HRSA's Ryan White
HIV/AIDS Program, the largest federal effort focused solely
on HIV/AIDS care, the guide was developed with the HRSA-funded
AIDS Education and Training Centers (AETC) National Resource
Center.
The Guide for HIV/AIDS Clinical Care is available online at
http://hab.hrsa.gov.
Printed copies can be ordered on the HRSA
Web site.
6/28/11
Sources
Health
Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Guide
for HIV/AIDS Clinical Care. January 2011.
Health
Resources and Services Administration. HRSA Guide for HIV/AIDS
Clinical Care now available online. Press release. June
6, 2011.
