Book Reviews
HIV Nursing and Symptom Management
Mary E Ropka and Ann B Williams
ISBN: 0-763705-44-6 1998 Blackwell Science Asia
Michelle Goode
Clinical Nurse Consultant HIV/AIDS, University of New South Wales, NSW
Mary Ropka and Ann Williams have gathered a mountain of information and research on all aspects of caring for people with HIV/AIDS and made sense of it. The contents of 'HIV Nursing and Symptom Management' reflects its name and focuses on the relief of symptoms to provide quality of life.
The book is organised into four units. Unit 1 is an overview of HIV infection. It takes us through an easy and concise description of the epidemiology HIV, the pathogenesis of HIV and clinical sequelae, including the recognition and treatment of opportunistic infections. The myriad of tests used to diagnose and treat HIV infection are described and a table is used to provide information on antiretrovirals drugs and clinical management of people taking antiretrovirals. The clever use of diagrams and tables throughout this unit make difficult concepts a little easier to understand.
Unit 2 highlights the common clinical problems associated with HIV infection. This unit is really the "guts" of the book. The information provided to us is backed up by holistic, sound, basic nursing care which may assist in providing symptom relief to the patient. The authors place special emphasis on making decisions in partnership with the patient, facilitating empowerment. Unit 3 contains special treatment considerations including case management, legal and ethical issues and the challenges and strategies that hinder/assist in compliance with recommended therapy. Don't be put off by the term "compliance" which implies that the patient will follow doctor's orders. Although compliance is the key to effective antiretroviral therapy, the term "adherence" would better describe the more complex issues associated with adhering to medication regimens and this is addressed in the chapter.
Lastly, Unit 4 describes HIV/AIDS in vulnerable and marginalised groups including women and children, people from non-English speaking backgrounds, substance abusers and those from culturally diverse backgrounds. The chapter on cultural diversity has a very North American slant and focuses on the African-American and Hispanic populations. As a nurse working in Australia I found these chapters on cultural diversity more interesting than helpful, but it did stimulate some thought towards our approach to caring for people from multicultural backgrounds along with the barriers they face in negotiating the health care system.
As you can see this book touches on a broad range of topics. It is up to date, practise based and easy to read. I found 'HIV Nursing and Symptom Management' to be a handy reference book suited to nurses who care for people with HIV/AIDS both regularly and infrequently. Experienced practitioners working in the area of HIV/AIDS will want more information and are provided with a comprehensive list of references which will assist them in gaining this.
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