Essay Sample on HIV/AIDS: Prognosis Improved With Treatment Advances

Introduction

Despite the fact that HIV/AIDS is still currently incurable, the prognosis for patients with this disease has been enhanced as a result of the upgrade of treatment options. When HIV/AIDS was just discovered in the early 1990s, it was believed that people with this infection could only live a maximum of 10 more years. However, the advancement of more drug treatment options, patients can now live for more and more years with lesser side effects. Conversely, the prevalence of HIV/AIDS has tremendously increased over time due to the complacency that arises due to more drug treatment options.

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HIV/AIDS is treated using Antiretroviral (U.S. Department of Health and Human Sciences, 2019). People on ART treatment take a combination of HIV drugs every day. Even though ART cannot cure this infection, these medicines help prolong the lives of people. Currently, HIV medicines are in seven medicine classes depending on how they fight the disease (U.S. Department of Health and Human Sciences, 2019). The existence of different drug cases and lines of treatment helps treat in accordance with several varying factors such as possible side effects. Therefore, a patient is given just the right medicines that suit the body and with fewer side effects (Arcangelo, Peterson, & Wilbur, 2017). These treatment advancements for HIV have since led to increased rates of complacency.

Health care professionals can help to change perceptions and increase awareness by educating the public through campaigns on prevention methods to help control spread (Chen, 2013). Also, health care providers can focus on behavioural intervention initiatives to help reduce the spread of this infection. Additionally, increase awareness on risk reduction strategies that can be used to control the number of new infections.

Some of the effective strategies used to teach on adherence to medicine and the practice of safe behaviours include patient-centred initiative with specific methods embraced from cognitive behavioural therapy and motivational development therapy. (O'Donnell et al., 2016). These initiatives try to cultivate a collective culture where patients can self-reliant adopt the strategies discussed with the health provider and take responsibility for their behavioural and medical needs. Health providers can also provide social support through support groups, teach on reminder devices and stress patient-centred methods.

References

Arcangelo, V. P., Peterson, A. M., & Wilbur, V. (2017). Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Practice: A Practical Approach (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Chen, Y. (2013). Treatment-related optimistic beliefs and risk of HIV transmission: a review of recent findings (2009-2012) in an era of treatment as prevention. Current HIV/AIDS Reports, 10(1), 79-88.Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3567224/

O'Donnell, M. R., Daftary, A., Frick, M., Hirsch-Moverman, Y., Amico, K. R., Senthilingam, M., ... & Zelnick, J. R. (2016). Re-inventing adherence: toward a patient-centred model of care for drug-resistant tuberculosis and HIV. The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 20(4), 430-434. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4863995/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Sciences. (2019, July 16). HIV Treatment: The Basics Understanding HIV/AIDS. Retrieved from https://aidsinfo.nih.gov/understanding-hiv-aids/fact-sheets/21/51/hiv-treatment--the-basics