Healthcare Professional Perspectives on HIV and AIDS

Course outline

1. 1

   Lesson 1: HIV Infection and AIDS

   • In this lesson, you will learn about HIV infection and AIDS. You will learn about the etiology, epidemiology, and transmission of HIV. You will also learn about the history of HIV and the evolution of the virus. HIV will be discussed from a national and global perspective to provide a thorough overview of the scope and impact of the virus. Upon completion of this lesson, you will have a broad understanding of the history and extent of the virus.
2. 2

   Lesson 2: HIV Diagnosis and Progression

   • In this lesson, you will learn about HIV diagnosis and prevention. In the first section, you will learn about HIV screening, testing and counseling. You will learn about the different types of tests available and the ways in which patients receive test results and post-diagnosis counseling. In the second section, you will learn about the pathogenesis of HIV. Upon completion of this section, you will have a thorough understanding of HIV diagnosis and progression.
3. 3

   Lesson 3: Prevention

   • In this lesson, you will learn about prevention and intervention strategies that are used to reduce the spread of HIV. The first section of this lesson will provide an overview of the prevention strategies used by individuals to reduce the risk of acquiring the virus. The second section of this lesson provides information regarding the broad-scale intervention strategies used with individuals to prevent the spread of the infection through groups.
4. 4

   Lesson 4: Managing HIV

   • In this lesson, you will learn how to manage HIV in HIV positive patients. In the first section, you will learn about patient experiences living with HIV to gain a better understanding of the challenges these individuals face. In the second section, you will learn how to work with patients to help them manage their infection. You will learn about basic medical management of HIV, as well as medical case management. Upon completion of this lesson, you will be fully prepared to help patients manage their infection.
5. 5

   Lesson 5: Working with Caregivers

   • In this lesson, you will learn how to work with caregivers to ensure patients receive adequate care and treatment. Formal and informal caregivers encounter significant challenges in meeting demands of caregiving to persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH). This lesson discusses stigma, caregiver burden, and grief related to loss as these relate to caregivers of PLWH. Global strategies for addressing these caregiving issues include: (1) identifying important caregiving problems and skills, (2) developing effective coping strategies, and (3) using community resources to assist caregivers.
6. 6

   Lesson 6: Special Populations

   • In this lesson, you will learn about the issues facing HIV positive members of special populations. Over the course of the HIV epidemic the disease has disproportionately affected members of vulnerable (minority) populations, including racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual minorities. Persons from ethnic and gender minority groups face multiple challenges when seeking health care. Challenges faced by minorities are often contextually based and require nurses and other health care providers to examine complex interrelationships between person and environment. In addition to the groups mentioned above, incarcerated individuals who are HIV positive face special challenges regarding care and treatment. This lesson will address the concerns faced by members of these special populations and provide strategies for working with them.
7. 7

   Lesson 7: Women, Children, and the Elderly

   • In this lesson, you will learn about HIV and its impact on women, children and the elderly. These groups face unique challenges, issues, and considerations with respect to HIV/AIDS, and it is important that health care providers are aware of their special needs. This lesson will provide strategies for working with these groups that will ensure they receive the proper level of care and adequate treatment.