NUR 4244 – Deliverable 6 – Communicable Disease Communication Document
HIV continues to impact society, particularly populations including racial and ethnic minorities and gay and bisexual men. According to the CDC, approximately 1.2 million people are living with HIV in the U.S., and about 1 in 7 don’t know they have it and need testing (“HIV in the U.S.,” 2020).
HIV is a preventable disease, in which effective prevention has been proven to reduce HIV transmission. According to Healthy People 2020, the majority of new infections are transmitted from people not yet diagnosed or are diagnosed but don’t care (“HIV,” 2020). Continuing to provide support and education to communities is important in decreasing the rate of transmissions. Despite the existence of medication and education to control HIV and reduce transmissions, HIV is still a leading cause of death in the world.
According to the CDC surveillance cases for HIV infections in the U.S., they have revised their surveillance data to respond to diagnostic issues, including diagnostic criteria, recognition of early infection, differences between infections, the staging system for adults/adolescents and children, and revision of criteria for reporting diagnoses without laboratory evidence (Selik et al., 2014). One important change made to their surveillance includes the addition of “stage 0”, which is based on negative and positive test results indicative of early HIV infection. This addition takes advantage of tests that are more sensitive during early infection than previously used tests, thus enabling the diagnosis of acute HIV infection. The addition allows for routine monitoring of the number of cases diagnosed within several months after infections, which includes the most highly infectious period where viral loads are extremely high, and interventions may be most effective in preventing further transmissions (Selik et al., 2014).
NUR 4244 – Deliverable 6 – Communicable Disease Communication Document
HIV is most frequently contracted at birth and during early adulthood. If transmission rates continue to increase, the epidemic may impact the demographic structure and the household structure of affected populations. HIV epidemics affect reproduction, which, combined with increased mortality, reduces the growth rate of the affected population. These reduced population rates further change the composition of the population and of households. Also, affected families and societies may react to their loss by bringing in new members or even by relocating (Heuveline, 2014). HIV also poses an impact on mental health in families affected by HIV. Children who have HIV-positive caregivers are at risk for a range of mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and social problems due to a disrupted parent-child relationship, fear, and misinformation (Betancourt et al., 2015).
Nurses play an important role in care management and adherence. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) management, such as initiation, support, and follow-up, are included in important competencies for nursing practice in HIV, which is an international best practice guideline according to the Canadian Association of Nurses in HIV/AIDS Care (Rouleau et al., 2019). These guidelines include recommendations that describe professional expectations, knowledge, and competencies that all nurses should have in order to provide evidence-based care to support both ART adherence and their own decision-making (Rouleau et al., 2019). Nurse-led interventions include tailored counseling, education, and reminders, which could enhance medication adherence for people living with chronic conditions.
NUR 4244 – Deliverable 6 – Communicable Disease Communication Document
Nurses working in public health have an important part in HIV prevention messages, linking clients to HIV care and reinforcing HIV prevention and care services such as adherence to medications. Public health nurses can enhance HIV care teams by working in partnership with case managers, nurses, doctors, social workers, and other services to address the medical, social, and economic needs of those living with HIV. A public health nurse is the bridge between the client, the community, and medical care, which connects the community and helps improve client experience, improve health care, and even lower costs (Dumitru et al., 2018). Actions the public health nurse can take to help prevent and control HIV infection rates include providing support and linkage to treatment and education, improving adherence by providing education and support by assisting clients with transportation, picking up prescriptions, and providing information on support within the community. Education strategies to improve medication adherence, thus assisting in the control of this communicable disease, include a patient support component that involves individualized or group education about ART and ART adherence, the development of basic medication management skills, and problem-solving with respect to adherence barriers (Simoni et al., 2014).
References
Betancourt, T. S., Ng, L. C., Kirk, C. M., Munyanah, M., Mushashi, C., Ingabire, C., Teta, S., Beardslee, W. R., Brennan, R. T., Zahn, I., Stulac, S., Cyamatare, F. R., & Sezibera, V. (2014). Family-based prevention of mental health problems in children affected by HIV and AIDS: an open trial. AIDS (London, England), 28 Suppl 3(0 3), S359–S368. https://doi.org/10.1097/QAD.0000000000000336
Dumitru, G., Irwin, K., & Tailor, A. (2017). Updated Federal Recommendations for HIV Prevention With Adults and Adolescents With HIV in The United States: The Pivotal Role of Nurses. The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care: JANAC, 28(1), 8–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jana.2016.09.011
Heuveline P. (2004). Impact of the HIV epidemic on population and household structure: the dynamics and evidence to date. AIDS (London, England), 18 Suppl 2(0 2), S45–S53. https://doi.org/10.1097/00002030-200406002-00006
HIV. (2020, October). Retrieved October 22, 2020, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/hiv
HIV in the United States and Dependent Areas. (2020, June 10). Retrieved October 22, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/overview/ataglance.html
Rouleau, G., Richard, L., Côté, J., Gagnon, M. P., & Pelletier, J. (2019). Nursing Practice to Support People Living With HIV With Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence: A Qualitative Study. The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care: JANAC, 30(4), e20–e37. https://doi.org/10.1097/JNC.0000000000000103
Selik, R. M., Mokotoff, E. D., Branson, B., Owen, M., Whitmore, S., & Hall, I. (2014, April). Revised Surveillance Case Definition for HIV Infection – United States, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr6303a1.htm
Simoni, J. M., Amico, K. R., Pearson, C. R., & Malow, R. (2008). Strategies for promoting adherence to antiretroviral therapy: a review of the literature. Current infectious disease reports, 10(6), 515–521. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11908-008-0083-y
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Question 
Explains the selected communicable disease’s impact or potential impact on public health.
Analyzes data using correct epidemiologic terminology on communicable diseases (from the surveillance sources’ websites provided below).
Explain the potential impact on the population if this communicable disease is not addressed, with a focus on the social impact and the emotional distress to the community.
Examines nursing interventions that have been proven effective in similar communities.
Details the action steps that can be taken by public health nurses to prevent and control the communicable disease, including education strategies.
Provides stated ideas with professional language and attribution for credible sources with correct APA citation, spelling, and grammar in the communication document.