The Role of the Nurse and Health Care Worker in HIVAIDS Prevention

1
The Role of the Nurse and Health Care Worker in
HIV/AIDS Prevention Education

• Christopher Shaw, ACRN
• Partners AIDS Research Center, Harvard Medical
  School
• University of Natal, Nelson R. Mandela Medical
  School
• St. Marys Hospital-Marionhill, Durban

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Overview

• Nurse and Health Care Workers role in HIV/AIDS
  prevention /education, and promotion of wellness
  in profession and communities affected.

3
She is remembered throughout the world for her
heroic, almost superhuman labors during the
Crimean War. But in reality these formed only the
beginning of a long life of continuous effort,
marked by achievements of truly amazing character
which have lived, grown, and spread to the ends
of the earth. Her reforms were fundamental and
searching. They struck at the roots of things,
dealing with hospitals, the health of the British
soldier, the health of the working people,
culminating in the founding of District Nursing
the institution of home based care, and the
opening of Professional Nursing Educational
Institutions.
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History of Nursing

• Florence Nightingale, Nursing Philosopher and
  pioneer elevated level of respect for nursing by
  reforming The British Military Health Care
  System.
• By understanding the impact nurses had to effect
  changes.
• By consulting with governments and Public Health
  sectors to promote, hygiene, nutrition, well baby
  care.
• Instituting Nursing School of excellence.

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Recognizing Nursing Potential

• South Africas political history and nursing
  history present incredible opportunities to
  continue to elevate the nursing profession here
  in S.A.
• To acknowledge the expertise of nurses here
  challenges at hand regarding HIV/AIDS.

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Nursing In South Africa

• Opportunity to be part of an evolving solution to
  prevent further spread of HIV/AIDS.
• To be on the frontlines of caring as your
  presence is needed now more than ever.
• To creatively care for patients and each other.
• To renegotiate the roles and stereotypes of the
  past into meaningful encounters of healing.
• Promoting nursing by role modeling the profession
  to newcomers.

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Responsibility of Nurses and Health Care Worker

• Provide compassionate ongoing accessible care
• Educate
• Advocate
• Continually update knowledge
• Community Outreach
• Role model

We who are nurses are inheritors of a great
tradition. It is ours to guard, to strengthen, to
enlarge where needed, and to equip ourselves
worthily for so doing. - Anonymous
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Compassionate Care

• The Art and Science of attending to patients so
  to promote spiritual, physical and emotional
  healing.
• Recognize that each patient interaction is a
  profound opportunity to communicate.
• Every encounter with patient, spouse, family and
  friend provides time to demonstrate holistic
  nursing excellence and to teach care and
  prevention strategies that promote health and
  well being.
• In HIV/AIDS care - these are paramount !

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Adopting or Creating a Philosophy of Nursing Care

• Watsons Theory of Altruistic Care loving
  kindness, sensitivity to self/others.
• Hildegard Peplau fostering therapeutic
  relationships with patients.
• Callista Roy Adaptation Model promotes
  conscious awareness of the thinking person, to
  create an integrative healing environment.
• Orems Self Care Model Nurse
  promotes/maintains health by motivating,
  informing and helping people adopt healthy
  lifestyle.

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Knowledge Illuminates Ignorance

• De-mystifying HIV/AIDS helps with
• de-stigmatization.
• Breaks down barriers that undermine prevention
  efforts.
• Identifies and targets communities individuals
  most at risk.
• Encourages respectful dialogue.

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Empathetic Care

• Understand the patient perspective.
• Illness embodies physical, psychological, social
  and cultural layers of suffering.
• HIV/AIDS can affix negative labels to patients
  ie Venereal Sin.
• Patients describe the impact of nurses, HCWs
  prejudice.

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Understand Negative Repercussions of Stigma

• Fear of status being discovered.
• Fear of rejection.
• The Radio Disease A I D S.
• ( there are reminders of it 24/7).
• Fear of being labeled.
• Fear and prejudice can easily become
  part of our thought process.

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Harnessing Nursing Power to Create Changes

• Self-care is essential if it doesnt happen?
  burnout will.
• Support/social groups to address burnout and
  flight.
• Redefining professional goals, opportunities,
  writing mission statement.
• Recognize awesome challenge/opportunity to
  address HIV/AIDS education prevention.

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Each Encounter with Patient

• Prevention
• Reinforce prevention strategies patient uses..
• Safety always important for both HIV-negative and
  positive persons.
• Encourage patients to become teachers in the
  prevention effort.

• Education
• Provide resources appropriate to level of
  learning.
• Reinforce adherence/with appointment schedules
  and med regimens.
• 3. Provide STD counseling and treatment.

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Address Barriers to Prevention (factors
undermining prevention)

• Social, economic and political forces.
• Cultural beliefs.
• Stigma of poverty.
• Migration of working population.
• Reluctance to openly discuss sexuality.

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Provide Risk Assessment of Community/Individuals
Most in Need

• Practicing unsafe sex
• Sex workers
• Adolescents (invincibility, peer pressure)
• Vulnerable children
• Victims of rape
• Elderly