Priorities for HIV care: the perspectives of healthcare providers and patients

Virological suppression and co-morbidities are the main focus of consultations between HIV healthcare providers (HCPs) and their patients, according to results of a study conducted by NAM and presented to the recent 15th European AIDS Conference held in Barcelona. Almost 90% of HCPs said the main focus of appointments with patients taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) who had a detectable viral load was treatment adherence. For people taking ART who had an undetectable viral load, discussions primarily focused on co-morbidities.

The research also gathered data on patients’ experiences of interaction with HCPs. Almost half reported difficulties interacting with health professionals and over a third said they used the internet when seeking information about the management of HIV.

HIV is now a chronic, manageable infection. Poor communication between people living with HIV and healthcare professionals has been associated with sub-optimal treatment outcomes.

Investigators at NAM in collaboration with other researchers therefore designed a study to examine what European HCPs considered to be the priority subjects for consultation with the people living with HIV in their care. A parallel survey examined the opinions of patients concerning their interaction with HCPs.

The research was conducted between October 2014 and June 2015. A survey with 29 questions about communication between HCPs and patients was distributed to HCPs.

A total of 292 HCPs responded. The majority (85%) were located in western Europe, 5% were in eastern European EU countries and the remaining 10% worked in non-EU countries in eastern Europe, the Middle East or Central Asia.

Over half (55%) of respondents stated that they were physicians who specialised in the treatment of HIV; 22% were HIV nurse specialists; 7% were pharmacists and 7% GPs. Most (71%) reported that consultations with HIV-positive patients took place in hospital settings.

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During the Canada Post strike announced September 25, 2025, the following measures will be undertaken to minimize service disruption to BC-CfE clients and providers.

  • The BC-CfE Laboratory has transitioned to private courier for delivery of outgoing reports and documents. Results required urgently can be faxed upon request. (Lab Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8775; FAX 604-806-9463)
  • The BC-CfE Drug Treatment Program (DTP) will fax outgoing forms and documents to the provider’s office. (DTP Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8515; FAX 604-806-9044)
  • St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy has transitioned to private courier for delivery of medications. We recommend requesting medication at least 2 weeks in advance in case of delivery delays, particularly to rural/remote parts of BC. (Contact Information: Phone 1-800-547-3622; FAX 604-806-8675)

During the Canada Post strike, we recommend that documents be faxed or couriered to our sites, versus utilization of regular mail service

The BC-CfE Laboratory is streamlining reporting processes for certain tests in order to simplify distribution and record-keeping, and to ensure completeness of results. Beginning September 2, 2025, results for the ‘Resistance Analysis of HIV-1 Protease and Reverse Transcriptase’ (Protease-RT) and ‘HIV-1 Integrase Resistance Genotype’ tests will be combined into a single ‘HIV-1 Resistance Genotype Report’.
For more details and example reports, please click on the button below