Scroll down to comment on this story.
November 2009
Need a Doctor? Call a Nurse.
by Laura Whitehorn
Nurses rival doctors at keeping HIV-positive patients healthy. That’s what a South African study concluded after nearly two years of observation.
First, 812 people had an HIV combo prescribed by a doctor. Then they were divided into two groups. One group was regularly monitored and treated by doctors, the other by nurses. After 96 weeks, the groups were almost identical in viral load, CD4 counts and number of regimen switches, side effects and deaths—and how many clinic appointments they missed.
These results bode well for places with few doctors but many HIV-positive people. And if you were worried that you got inferior care because you saw the nurse instead of the MD at your last clinic visit, relax. The nurse is in.
Search: nurse, HIV, health, treatment, regimen, appointments
Scroll down to comment on this story.
Previous Comments:
