AEGiS-14IAC: The scientific construction of the HIV positive person within studies of anti-viral efficacy: a systematic and critical review.

14th International AIDS Conference


Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

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The scientific construction of the HIV positive person within studies of anti-viral efficacy: a systematic and critical review.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. ThOrE1497)

Flowers P, Frankis J, Rosengarten M, Davis M, Hart G, Imrie J
Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, United Kingdom

Background To explore the 'medical' construction of the HIV positive person in current literature regarding the efficacy of HIV treatments and theorise the potential impact of such constructions on positive individuals' experiences of treatments and treatment failure. Method Embase, Medline and Web of Science were searched for all papers which assess the efficacy of anti-HIV drugs, published during the first quarter of 2001 (n=30). Study participants demographics were collated, eg country of residence, treatment history, age, ethnicity, gender, transmission route.

RESULTS: The medical construction of the HIV positive person implicit within the treatment efficacy literature embodies a person who is male (the median proportion of women per trial is 14%), from North America or central Europe, white (72% of participants in studies which reported ethnicity), early middle-aged (most studies having a median age between 37 - 41 years), gay (56% of participants in studies where transmission route was reported), and had experience of treatments (70% of studies included only treatment-experienced participants). Conclusions This systematic literature review suggests an over-representation of white, gay, middle aged men who participate in clinical trials. This is problematic as this construction of the HIV positive person differs from the majority of HIV positive people in the world. These constructions and their associated expectations may mitigate against understanding the complex social and cultural issues involved in treatment failure. The positivist epistemology of empirical science (eg cumulative knowledge) has delivered effective HIV treatments, yet from a critical perspective, this paradigm may also produce specific understandings of HIV positive people which are not generalisable.

Keywords: AEGIS, HIV Infections, Homosexuality, Male, HIV Seropositivity, Homosexuality, Clinical Trials, Attitude, North America, Europe, Human, Female, Male, classification, virologyKWDaegis,hivinfections,homosexuality,male,hivseropositivity,homosexuality,clinicaltrials,attitude,northamerica,europe,human,female,male,classification,virology

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ThOrE1497

Copyright © 2002 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.