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Query: UMLS:C0001175 (AIDS)
 120,706 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The objectives of the research were to explore perceptions of HIV, AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) among individuals enrolled in antiretroviral therapy (ART) at two municipal clinics in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and to assess the implications of these perceptions on the provision of HIV and TB care services. Data were collected using the freelist technique to elicit the elements of a cultural domain as well as open-ended interviews with ART clients, conducted during June and July 2009. Participants were recruited through non-probability convenience sampling. The freelist data were analysed using multidimensional scaling and hierarchical clustering, and the interview data were analysed using the grounded theory method. The results suggest that: 1) the participants had substantial knowledge about HIV, AIDS and TB; 2) the participants' perceptions of HIV, AIDS and TB constituted three distinct, though overlapping, cultural domains; 3) because of the availability of ART and TB treatment, a diagnosis of HIV infection or TB alone was generally perceived with hope that one would be able to live a normal life, while AIDS illness or TB/HIV coinfection were associated with notions of death and despair; and, 4) such perceptions may negatively impact the uptake of testing for HIV and TB, and thereby contribute to delayed start of the respective treatment. Health messages should build on these meanings which have the potential to either enhance or compromise available health programmes and their use by people living with HIV or TB.
Afr J AIDS Res 2012 Jun
PMID:Perceptions of HIV, AIDS and tuberculosis among patients on antiretroviral therapy in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe: implications for the provision of HIV and TB care services. 2585 13

The burden of HIV on caregivers is especially heavy in South Africa where an estimated 5.5 million people were living with HIV in 2006, and where an estimated one in every three to four patients admitted to some public hospitals is HIV-positive. Occupational stress and burnout merit concern in South Africa as the severity and intensity of the HIV epidemic is often perceived as overwhelming, leaving many caregivers with intense feelings of hopelessness and despair. This study explores and describes the experiences, feelings and perceptions of South African caregivers working in various capacities (healthcare, counselling and teaching) in the HIV/AIDS field. A questionnaire investigating stress factors involved in HIV/AIDS-related care, symptoms of occupational stress, and employer support was completed by 243 caregivers. The results specify in what sense these caregivers find their work extremely stressful. Commonly, they battle with bereavement overload, over-identify with their patients, fear occupational exposure to HIV, and find it difficult to cope with their own and patients' stigmatisation and confidentiality issues. The caregivers generally believed that they had not been adequately trained to offer HIV-related counselling; they largely felt unsupported by their employers, family and friends; and they were frequently angry about slow government processes and misleading health messages. Caregivers working in different capacities found HIV-care-related factors equally stressful, while school teachers claimed significantly more symptoms of occupational stress than counsellors and healthcare workers. The results clearly indicate that these categories of caregivers work in extremely difficult circumstances and require support from their employers to prevent burnout. Suggestions on how to assist such caregivers in their work environment are made, and support strategies are discussed.
Afr J AIDS Res 2007 Apr
PMID:Occupational stress experienced by caregivers working in the HIV/AIDS field in South Africa. 2587 45

The aim of this article was to explore the experiences and attitudes of people with HIV/AIDS. A systematic review of qualitative studies was carried out. Twenty-seven articles were included, with sample sizes ranging from 3 to 78. Articles from North America, South America, Central America, Europe, and Africa were included. Five topics emerged from the synthesis: feelings about the diagnosis of HIV/AIDS; stigma and HIV/AIDS; changes in sexual behavior after becoming infected; living with the virus; and pregnancy and motherhood in seropositive women. The moment of diagnosis is of vital importance for these people due to feelings such as disappointment, sadness, fear, despair, lack of awareness, and pain. Social support is highly valued among these people and is linked to an improvement in these peoples' quality of life. Different kinds of stigma accompany people with HIV/AIDS throughout their life, like social stigma, self-stigma, and health professionals' stigma. Seropositive women who decide to become mothers can feel frustration because they cannot breastfeed. Spirituality helps some people to deal with the fact of being a virus or disease carrier.
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PMID:Experiences and Attitudes of People with HIV/AIDS: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies. 3196 22


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