World AIDS Day | Caring for those who are living with AIDS

Currently, more than 35 million people worldwide are infected with human immunodeficiency virus and have developed acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS[1]. AIDS can be transmitted in a variety of ways, increasing the infection rate and the burden on infected patients. In addition, there is currently no cure for AIDS, which cannot meet the needs of AIDS patients, causing serious psychological trauma to them, leading to increased depression and anxiety, lowering their expectations of society and the world, and causing AIDS patients to become pessimistic and dismissive of their own disease.

According to a survey conducted by AIDS control centers on the psychological status of AIDS patients, most patients suffer from severe depression and anxiety. It is precisely because of the negative emotions such as depression and anxiety that patients take a joking attitude towards AIDS treatment. Social discrimination and misunderstanding of AIDS patients further deepen the psychological trauma and resistance of patients, thereby reducing their respect for life and hope for cure [2-3].

Therefore, in order to better provide psychological counseling for AIDS patients, we need not only to understand their psychological needs, but also to provide them with careful and comprehensive care. The following suggestions are provided:

1. Personalized psychological care After becoming ill, patients know that they have no hope of recovery. Coupled with discrimination against AIDS patients by all walks of life, they will develop negative psychological states such as sadness, depression, and despair. Relevant research shows that 35% of AIDS patients in my country have a negative mentality. In severe cases, they even give up treatment or have suicidal thoughts [4]. Therefore, in order to improve the negative psychological state of patients and encourage them to actively receive treatment, they need to receive appropriate psychological care, and work with society and families to eliminate discrimination, care for patients, let them feel the warmth of society and family, rebuild their confidence in life, and actively cooperate with medical staff in antiviral treatment.

2. Medication care Since such patients need long-term medication, a health record can be created when the patient first visits the doctor to record the patient's medication and disease progression. Inform the patient and his family of the type, method, and dosage of medication, and have the family supervise. Follow up by phone and ask the patient to undergo a reexamination to help the patient better treat the disease.

3. Treatment and nursing: Drug treatments all have certain side effects, which is also the key reason why patients cannot continue treatment. Therefore, before treatment, a treatment plan should be formulated according to the specific situation of each patient, taking into account the patient's personal constitution, minimizing side effects as much as possible, and ensuring the continuity and effectiveness of treatment. Health education can also be carried out at the time of admission to the hospital, so that patients can understand the occurrence and development mechanism of the disease, the adverse reactions of drugs, and be mentally prepared.

4. Psychological intervention There is no cure for this disease. Patients develop negative psychology due to the hopelessness of cure and may even give up treatment or take revenge on society. Nursing staff should do a good job in psychological work for patients and provide targeted psychological counseling for their inappropriate thoughts. They can also help patients boost their confidence by explaining cases with good treatment effects of this disease, and organize patient exchange meetings to help patients get out of their inner haze world, embrace the world, and actively cooperate with medical staff in treatment [5].

5. Diet care AIDS often invades the human immune system and causes great damage to the human body. Patients experience symptoms such as weight loss. Therefore, such patients should pay attention to adjusting their diet structure and eat more foods rich in protein and calories, but less in fiber and fat: chicken, fish, fruits and vegetables. Pay attention to individual differences and choose foods that patients like. If patients develop oral ulcers, diarrhea, etc., and cannot heal themselves after a light diet, they should seek medical attention in time.

6. Skin care A typical symptom of late AIDS is skin infection or even ulceration. Therefore, skin care should be done in the early stage. Clean the skin regularly, using water, saline solution and Kangfuxin solution.

7. Oral care Another common symptom of patients is dry mouth or oral infection. Therefore, oral hygiene should be done in the early stage of the disease, brushing teeth and rinsing mouth twice a day. Drink water appropriately to improve dry mouth. If infection occurs, consult a doctor immediately on how to take medicine.

References

1. Eisinger RW, Fauci AS. Ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic (1). Emerg Infect Dis, 2018, 24(3): 413-416.

2. Xu Hongping, Tang Ning, Zhou Min, et al. Evaluation of the effect of comprehensive intervention of AIDS health education for vocational high school students with a focus on AIDS prevention skills[J]. Modern Preventive Medicine, 2017, 44(21): 3914-3917,3935.

3. Hu Liping. Effects of health education and psychological intervention on treatment compliance and nursing satisfaction of patients with AIDS and pulmonary tuberculosis[J]. Henan Medical Research, 2017, 26(10): 1910-1911.

4. Gan Huiling. The impact of health education on treatment compliance of AIDS patients[J]. World Latest Medical Information Abstracts (Continuous Electronic Journal), 2021, 21(9): 240-241. DOI:
10.3969/j.issn.1671-3141.2021.09.116.

5. Li Zhen. Research progress on factors affecting medication compliance and nursing intervention in children with AIDS[J]. Journal of Nursing Management, 2018, 7(19): 28-29.