Mental Health Nursing
A 53 years old man is diagnosed as HIV positive.
He had a history of and off diarrhea and progressive weakness for past few months. He sigmoidoscopy. Which of the following measure should the healthcare providers evaluate?
الشرح
Core Concept: Psychosocial and ethical nursing care for patients with chronic, stigmatized infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS).
Clinical Presentation:
- Chronic diarrhea, profound weight loss, fatigue, opportunistic infections, and severe psychosocial distress or depression.
Diagnosis:
- First-line: 4th generation HIV Ag/Ab combination immunoassay.
- Gold Standard: HIV-1/HIV-2 differentiation assay combined with CD4 count and viral load testing for disease staging.
Management:
- Acute: Initiate Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and aggressively treat any opportunistic infections.
- Long-term: Given the profound social stigma associated with HIV, evaluating and ensuring strict confidentiality, alongside assessing the patient's social support system and mental health, is a critical priority to ensure medication adherence and protect the patient's psychosocial well-being.