It is also advisable to ask HIV patients about their use of alternative therapies, says Dr. Hollander, because studies have shown that a substantial minority of people with HIV infection do, in fact, take alternative therapies.4 “We also know,” he says, “that some of these therapies cause adverse reactions and toxicities that you would not ordinarily consider, unless you had obtained that history.”
Education, Education, Education
Dr. Bell notes that there is wide variability in adherence to medication and follow-up clinic visits among those infected with HIV. “It’s important for hospitalists to emphasize links to care,” she says. “A hospital visit is an important time to emphasize education, and to make sure that those patients have the appropriate follow-up.”
The role of hospitalist as patient educator takes on more prominence in settings with a larger percentage of more indigent patients. “I think the key is education, education, education,” Dr. Sabharwal asserts.
He and hospitalists in his group make patient counseling a key component in their treatment, from the time they encounter patients until discharge. They emphasize that with today’s therapies, a 60-year-old HIV-positive patient may avoid hospitalization, while those who do not take their medications risk the severe sequelae of AIDS-defining conditions.
“It’s very important that physicians not be in a hurry to go from patient to patient,” he says. “A lot of times what’s lacking is for physicians to take the time to sit down with the patient and go over the severity of the disease in its later stages. We counsel patients every single time.”
Dr. Baudendistel’s counsel to fellow hospitalists is that although they may still be attuned to treating HIV complications, such as PCP or TB, HIV is now a chronic disease. And as such, “It’s not something that the casual generalist can manage independently,” he says. “When I was in training, I was very well-versed in managing HIV disease. With the initial drug treatments and the common opportunistic infections, treatment was pretty straightforward. But now I wouldn’t feel comfortable managing the HIV part of the illness on my own. HIV is a subspecialist disease now, and it is important to have a colleague with HIV expertise with whom they can consult.” TH
Gretchen Henkel is a frequent contributor to The Hospitalist.
References
- CDC HIV/AIDS Fact Sheet, “A Glance at the HIV/AIDS Epidemic.” January 2007. Available online at http://www.cdc.gov/hiv. Last accessed April 2007.
- Pai NP, Lawrence J, Reingold AL, et al. Structured treatment interruptions (STI) in chronic unsuppressed HIV infection in adults. Cochran Database Syst Rev. 2006 Jul 19;3:CD006148.
- Agins BD, Alexander CS, Bartlett JG. Metabolic Complications of Antiretroviral Therapy. A Guide to Primary Care of People with HIV/AIDS, 2004 Ed. Available online at http://hab.hrsa.gov/tools/primarycareguide. Last accessed May 21, 2007.
- Wutoh AK, Brown CM, Kumoji EK, et al. Antiretroviral adherence and use of alternative therapies among older HIV-infected adults. J Natl Med Assoc. 2001 Jul-Aug;93(7-8):243-250.