Introduction
Long-term conditions are defined as diseases that have no cure for the time being. Another representation of this type of condition is a chronic disease. Chronic conditions persist for a long time, and their symptoms may intensify or subside with the passage of time. If treatment is effective, symptoms may disappear, but chronic illnesses usually persist; if they are present, they accompany a person throughout their life. Examples of these conditions include arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Nurses are essential in ensuring that patients with this condition are well cared for (World Health Organization, 2022). This is because they not only provide care for patients while they are being treated in the hospital, but they can also attend them at home if they are needed. In addition, nurses propose to patientsâ advice on methods of reducing their signs or further counselling on medications. Accordingly, various nurses support chronically diseased patients during their lives.
In order to guarantee the quality and professionalism of their services, a special authority was founded. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) was established to protect the public. The council ensures that only qualified midwives and nurses work in the UK. Professional requirements for nurses, midwives, and nursing assistants are outlined in the NMC Code (World Health Organization, 2022). Independently of whether they are providing direct care to individuals, groups or communities, nurses, midwives and health assistants should behave in accordance with the Code in all circumstances. Furthermore, they are required to enhance their professional qualifications and maintain ethical standards continually. Therefore, the health of patients depends to a significant extent on the knowledge and experience of the nurse. (Artiga and Hinton, 2019). This is especially relevant when patients are infected with HIV and require continuous support. Hence, it is crucial to identify how the occupational health nurse will manage the condition to assist individuals with HIV.
Holistic Assessment
The Code establishes universal standards of behaviour for all persons listed. Nurses, midwives and nurse assistants are expected to comply with the Code within the scope of their practice. This includes that a nurse and a nurse’s aide, for example, may have different responsibilities in the same area of care but are nevertheless expected to comply with the Code in their overall contribution to patient care (NHS, 2019). Considering the importance of the Code’s impact on the protection of public health, the professional obligation to act within one’s competence is an important core value that should be honoured at all times. The CNM Code is critical to the promotion of good midwifery and nursing in the UK. The Code can be applied to assess the care received from nurses.
In addition, local and national health policies are being developed to ensure timely prevention, treatment and care for people with HIV in accordance with national guidelines. The local policies should ensure access to testing and treatment and services such as housing and mental health (Jaspal and Nerlich, 2022). The governments should be responsive to the needs of local HIV-positive populations and work with local health authorities and organizations to ensure that people living with HIV receive the services they need. Meanwhile, national guidelines should be developed to ensure the timely and effective delivery of HIV prevention, treatment and care services (NHS, 2019). The national policies should also ensure that people with HIV have access to the services they need, such as HIV testing and treatment, housing and other services, and support programs.
Stages of HIV
Stages of HIV HIV infection occur in three stages: acute HIV infection, chronic HIV infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). They were a long-term condition. HIV has no cure; however, the disease can be prevented from advancing from one stage to another using antiretroviral therapy (Hernandez and Middleton, 2018). Within 2â4 weeks of HIV infection, the body often develops the first signs of acute HIV infection. Some people develop symptoms similar to the flu at this time, including fever, headache, and skin rash. There is an immediate expansion in virus production and dissemination during the acute phase of HIV infection. The virus destroys the immune system’s CD4 cells (CD4 T lymphocytes), which are responsible for combating infections (Moore et al., 2021). The risk of HIV transmission is highest during the acute stage of illness when the infected virus is circulating at high levels in the blood.
Clinical Data
Clinical data is essential for assessing the extent of occupational health nurse work. According to statistics, at the end of 2021, 2,955 people in the United Kingdom were newly identified, including those previously diagnosed with HIV in other countries (Jelliman and Porcellato, 2019). This is 33% less than the 4,408 in 2019 and 0.2% less than expected in 2020. Similar percentage changes for England included a 33% decrease from 4,017 in 2019 and a 0.7% increase from 2,673 in 2020. According to McGrath et al. (2021), 25% (669 of 2,692) of new diagnoses in England in 2021 were in patients previously diagnosed outside the country. These cases are uncharacteristic of HIV transmission in the UK, and public health measures have not been capable of preventing it (Lorenc et al., 2021). The subject of these clinical data is the number of patients admitted to the hospital diagnosed with pneumonia. This indicates that the diagnosis of pneumonia in hospitalized individuals is frequent.
Ethical Considerations Relating to Treatment Access
Ethical considerations relating to access to treatment need to be incorporated into the provision of care for people living with HIV. Access to treatment should be available to all, independent of their socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity and other factors (Butts and Rich, 2022). Occupational healthcare providers are required to consider the ethical implications of HIV screening, the right to privacy, and the right to refuse treatment. In addition, healthcare providers have to consider the patient’s right to receive appropriate treatment and informed consent. Moreover, occupational health care should address the patient’s right to receive appropriate treatment and informed consent.
Management of HIV
It becomes apparent from the case study that HIV-positive healthcare workers face various challenges regularly. Client A, a certified nurse, could not find a job due to HIV. The Client applied for a career in the Accident and Emergency department, and according to the management, the Client should disclose a medical history before being approved for the position. However, the individual holds the information in confidence because the Client has already experienced discrimination and judgment from others (Tunnicliff et al., 2018). A person with HIV also needs to consult a specialist. In addition, a high probability is that an HIV-positive patient will have other medical conditions simultaneously. Therefore, an occupational health nurse must be employed at the enterprise, hospital or other places of labour. This will permit not only to monitor the health status of employees but also the maintenance of individuals with HIV positive. Additionally, these HIV-positive people will be available to obtain help if they need it at the workplace or hospital.
Implementation Interventions
Various measures can be implemented to prevent, treat or promote the health status of HIV-infected people. The first approach to achieving effective prevention services for most at-risk populations and HIV treatment and care for those infected is to determine their HIV status. HIV treatment cannot be obtained without establishing HIV infection (Gulland, 2021). In addition, an occupational health nurse can disseminate information on infection prevention and public health preventive measures. This facilitates the interaction between healthcare professionals and their patients, increasing the likelihood of positive behaviour change (Murthy et al., 2019). Hence, the activities of occupational health nurses are designed to reduce and stop HIV epidemics and provide high-quality treatment, care and support.
Additionally, nurses can respond to HIV epidemics with interventions that have been demonstrated to be effective. That is the use of hygienic injection equipment, opioid therapy, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (Padian et al., 2018). Furthermore, occupational health nurses can help patients access antiretroviral treatment (ART), which can contribute to slower disease progression, reduced disability, and enhanced quality of life (Auerbach, Hayes and Kandathil, 2020). Therefore, an occupational health nurse can use this as an overall strategy to help individuals with HIV.
Critical Awareness
Healthcare workers should understand and recognize their critical role in the HIV response. Accordingly, if occupational health nurses are to be effective, they will be improving HIV knowledge on a continuous basis. Consequently, occupational health nurses should have comprehensive information about how HIV affects the human immune system. Basically, immune system cells are infected, and immunity is reduced (Watson, 2019). CD4+TL counts are reduced, indicating immunosuppression (Brenchley et al., 2019). Through the seven pillars of clinical governance, the quality of clinical services of an occupational health nurse can be estimated.
The first pillar is clinical effectiveness, which ensures that the medications used have a good outcome for the patient. For instance, PRePs supported by the NHS can enhance the health status of people living with HIV (Musavi et al., 2020). Moreover, occupational health nurses also need to mitigate the risk to an HIV-infected patient who is on medication. It is crucial to identify challenges and implement appropriate solutions for improvement. Occupational health nurses should also involve the community in managing quality assurance of patient care. Medications that are prescribed to patients have to be reviewed.
In addition, occupational health management should encourage the use of the Tannahill Health Promotion Model. The principal purpose of using this occupational health nurse model is to prevent HIV and to strengthen social and legal provisions for HIV (Sykes, 2014). Furthermore, preventive measures can be implemented by teaching prevention methods, such as condom education. In addition, occupational health nurses should also prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV during childbirth. As the model suggests, positive health education should be promoted throughout the workplace. This will benefit the well-being of patients and strengthen the confidence of people living with HIV by changing their attitudes. The last aspect of health care is achieved through social, financial and legislative measures. Accordingly, in order to address the overall situation with the level of HIV infection, occupational health nurses have to monitor these issues constantly.
Barriers to HIV Management
It requires noting that various challenges impede the effectiveness of HIV treatment and prevention programs. For instance, even though the HIV prevention drug PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) has been successful, a recent study indicates that 65% of people who want to start taking it cannot (Mahase, 2021). According to the UK Health Protection Agency, seven persons in England are diagnosed with HIV daily. The availability of preventive drugs on the NHS in England was hailed by advocates some time ago as a significant advance toward the government’s goal of eliminating all new HIV infections by 2030 (Sykes, 2014; Hughes et al., 2019). In a recent analysis by a group of stakeholder organizations, the 2030 target is at risk, as significant barriers to accessing prevent individuals from accessing HIV prevention services. Severe service availability and capacity concerns were also identified (McGrath et al., 2021). The most frequently cited challenge was online appointment scheduling, accompanied by problems with the clinic phone.
Challenges of the Self-Care
Self-care issues Client A is associated with several issues related to her health status. Similar to many other people living with HIV, Client A faces several challenges. Stigmatization is the first concern that Client A encounters. Accordingly, Client A cannot benefit from employment and other social opportunities (Chou et al., 2018). It can be remarked that Client A is highly stressed because, despite her asthma, she smokes when she is in a stressful state. Occupational health management can help relieve stigma by promoting cultural support for people living with HIV (Millard, Elliott and Girdler, 2020). These patients will feel less discrimination when they are treated favourably. Another issue that limits the self-care of the HIV-positive patient is insecurity. Even though Client A is a qualified nurse, there is a fear that others will find out about the disease and begin to discriminate (Thorne et al., 2018). Moreover, like Client A, most HIV-positive patients are stressed or even depressed about their medical condition. Hence, occupational health management also needs to provide emotional and psychological assistance.
Recommendation for Treatment and Motivational Interventions
It is crucial to mention that HIV-infected people lose interest in life, which is why it is crucial to support them. Occupational health nurses have to assist patients in remembering how to love and concern themselves again. This will motivate them to search for a cure, and their analyses will become improved (Ridge et al., 2018). Consequently, one of the objectives of occupational health nurses is to help HIV-infected patients accept themselves and find self-confidence, which will provide them with cultural and social support. Consequently, the occupational health nurse will contribute to the patient’s willingness to be treated again, and therefore they will agree with the new procedures and methods (Peate, 2019). Therefore, the occupational health nurse will use the method of motivation to enhance the effectiveness of patient treatment.
Recommendation for Future Practice
First and foremost, it is to maximize self-care, which means eating nutritious foods and maintaining a healthy weight. The patient should also exercise frequently and monitor mental health and stress. Managing stress can be handled through counselling and attending a psychologist (Angell, 2019). Counselling aids a person in their future decisions; it is mainly a way of prevention, treatment, therapy, and support for people living with HIV (Bor, Miller, and Goldman, 2018). Similarly, a psychologist helps to address psychosocial feelings such as withdrawal and hopelessness. Another essential self-care regimen is taking medications consistently, administering PRePs, and attending checkups (Creek and Lougher, 2021). The chance of being affected by other diseases is low when receiving proper medical care.
A final recommendation is not to become addicted to harmful addictions, such as drinking large amounts of alcohol and smoking. Client A smokes because of stress, which significantly threatens her life. For effective health promotion, it is desirable that she quit smoking (Pomeroy, Green, and Van Laningham, 2022). In the case of marriage, concordance can be chosen when everyone in the couple is HIV-positive. Additionally, people diagnosed with HIV are encouraged to take antiretroviral therapy (ART) for treatment because it enables to control of the virus.
Conclusion
In summary, it can be argued that chronic diseases such as HIV cannot be cured. Therefore, one of the long-term conditions and the principles of HIV treatment were discussed above. HIV has stages, and the first stage is the acute stage, where the virus mainly affects immune cells. Moreover, there is a chance of developing other diseases, such as asthma and hypertension, when infected with HIV. Healthcare workers, such as nurses, are essential in the treatment of HIV infection. The comprehensive assessment revealed that nurses treat people infected with HIV with considerable love and care. Furthermore, clinical data suggests that England has the highest number of people diagnosed with HIV. Moreover, People living with HIV in the UK are cared for by the National Health Service (NHS). The NHS is responsible for ensuring that antiretroviral therapy programs are available.
However, despite some challenges, it is clear that the acquisition of PRePs and the removal of patients from the NHS program has been successful. Correspondingly, barriers need to be removed to ensure effective treatment for all patients in the UK. HIV can be prevented through various measures, such as condom use and sterile injection equipment. Eventually, in order to overcome the progressive effects of HIV infection, patients should take care of themselves. Self-care involves attending counselling sessions, maintaining a proper diet, taking medications consistently, and quitting bad habits such as smoking. Accordingly, patient well-being and HIV management is a collective role of the patient, the community, health care providers and the government. Furthermore, issues such as stigma, low self-esteem and depression can be addressed through effective self-care. Although HIV infection is a long-term disease, it is preventable, and people living with HIV can be healthy if they receive proper treatment. Thus, HIV-positive people should be considered equal to others without discrimination.
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