12th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections Boston, Massachusetts - February 22-25, 2005

Conf Retrovir Opportunistic Infect 2005 Feb 22-25;12:abstract no. 1

Wafaa El-Sadr
Intl Ctr for AIDS Care and Treatment Prgms, Columbia Univ Mailman Sch of Publ Hlth and Harlem Hosp Ctr, New York, NY, USA

Recent attention has focused on the establishment of HIV care and treatment programs in less developed countries. These efforts were stimulated by the recognition of the calamitous impact of the HIV epidemic on the lives of individuals and communities, the availability of interventions (including antiretroviral drugs) that have favorable impact on patients’ morbidity and mortality and the potential positive impact of antiretroviral drugs on HIV prevention efforts. Most importantly, a profound ethical imperative stimulated efforts to establish HIV care and treatment programs for the many millions who currently have no access to these services.

HIV care and treatment programs are shaped by the characteristics of HIV disease. HIV affects families and households rather than solely individuals. HIV-infected patients are at various stages of disease requiring stage-specific interventions and monitoring schedules. It is also a chronic disease requiring lifelong care and meticulous adherence with medications. HIV also has a profound psychosocial and societal impact, beyond its clinical effects.

Local circumstances also shape the models of care. Factors such as the setting whether rural or urban, availability of various types of health professionals, access to laboratory support and other supportive services as well as the characteristics of the health care system itself have a profound impact on the selection of specific models of care.

The characteristics of HIV disease and those of the local environment necessitate that various models of care be established and their effectiveness evaluated. A mosaic of these various models may need to be established in order to meet the needs of all individuals with HIV in a community.

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Copyright © 2005 - Foundation for Retrovirology and Human Health. Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Foundation for Retrovirology and Human Health. Licensed (AIDSLINE) from National Library of Medicine.