Your primary HIV health care provider may be a doctor of medicine (MD) or doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO), nurse practitioner (NP), or a physician assistant (PA). Some women may prefer to see an OB-GYN provider who has expertise in HIV/AIDS.
- Internist.
- Infectious Disease Specialist.
Who is the best HIV doctor?
You can also get suggestions from:
- A trusted friend or someone you know with HIV
- A local HIV/AIDS organization
- The American Academy of HIV Medicine website (www.aahivm.org)
- Your insurance company's provider list
Who recommends once feared drug to treat HIV?
WHO recommends once feared drug to treat HIV. Wednesday July 24 2019. Dolutegravir (DTG) is the anti-retroviral drug of choice for those living with HIV in developed countries. PHOTO | AFP. Summary. There had been fears about the risk of defects in the brain, spine or spinal cord being higher for babies of women on dolutegravir.
Who should care for patients with HIV/AIDS?
Your health care team may include other providers who are experts in taking care of people with HIV. Allied health care professionals like nurses, mental health providers, pharmacists, nutritionists , and dentists. Social service providers like social workers, case managers, substance use specialists , and patient navigators.
Who is at risk for getting HIV?
“They were all getting the highest-quality care.” Additionally, the study showed that the higher heart failure risk was not because people with HIV had more risk factors for heart disease or just experienced more heart attacks, but that there was a ...
Is there any successful treatment for HIV?
While there's no cure for HIV, there are very effective treatments that enable most people with the virus to live a long and healthy life.
Can HIV be treated permanently?
There is no cure for HIV, but you can control it with HIV treatment. Most people can get the virus under control within six months. HIV treatment does not prevent transmission of other sexually transmitted diseases.
Where can I consult for HIV?
Some people with HIV go to an HIV clinic for their medical appointments; others go to a community health center, a Veterans Affairs clinic, or a private medical provider's office.
What is today's treatment for HIV?
The treatment for HIV is called antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART involves taking a combination of HIV medicines (called an HIV treatment regimen) every day. ART is recommended for everyone who has HIV. ART cannot cure HIV, but HIV medicines help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives.
What is the name of the new ARV pill?
Early results from people taking a new antiretroviral medication called lenacapavir are promising. The long-acting drug is still at the research stage, but if the developers are able to pair it effectively with other drugs that also only needs to be taken twice a year, it could revolutionise HIV treatment.
What happens if you take ARVs while negative?
“When a HIV-positive person is given ARVs, it boosts their immunity, but when a HIV-negative person takes them, it just undermines their immunity and interferes with their body organs.” He, however, notes that some of the drugs administered to patients target viruses specifically, and not the body system.
What is the best treatment for HIV?
After you’re diagnosed with HIV, it’s important to see a health care provider who can help you start HIV medication (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) as soon as possible. ART is recommended for all people with HIV, regardless of how long they’ve had the virus or how healthy they are.
Does ART cure HIV?
ART can’t cure HIV, but it can control the virus. If taken as every day, exactly as prescribed, ART can reduce the amount of HIV in your body (also called the viral load) to a very low level. This is called viral suppression. Viral suppression helps to keep you healthy and prevents illness.
Can HIV be prevented?
People living with HIV who know their status, take HIV medication daily as prescribed, and get and keep an undetectable viral load can live long and healthy lives. There is also a major prevention benefit. People living with HIV who take HIV medication daily as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk ...
Can HIV be transmitted to a person with HIV?
People living with HIV who take HIV medication daily as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to their HIV-negative sexual partners. This is often called treatment as prevention.
How to find a HIV specialist?
HIV specialists can be found in most large cities. And HIV specialists often serve rural communities as well. Here are some ways that will help you find one: 1 Contact large hospitals in your area, especially ones that are affiliated with a university. HIV specialists can usually be found in the infectious disease departments of those hospitals. Please note that not all infectious diseases doctors are necessarily HIV specialists. When making the call, make sure you request an HIV specialist. 2 Speak with the local HIV/AIDS service agencies in your area. They will have a list of local HIV specialists and, in most cases, will help you get connected with one of them. 3 Word of mouth is a good source when looking for an HIV specialist. Listen to others who are living with HIV. They may be able to recommend a specialist.
Why are HIV specialists so popular?
HIV specialists are adept at both because of the number of HIV patients they treat and the experience they have gained by taking care of them. The cutting edge of HIV medicine —To be an HIV specialist, a doctor must keep current with the rapid changes in HIV science.
What is the definition of a HIV specialist?
The American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM) defines the HIV specialist as meeting these standard criteria for HIV knowledge measurement: Experience —The doctor must maintain state licensure and provide direct, on-going, continuous care for at least 20 HIV patients over the past two years.
What is the right of a person living with HIV to know about the care they receive?
The person living with HIV has the right to know the relationships his/her medical caregivers have with outside parties (such as health care providers or insurers) that may influence treatment and care.
What rights does a person with HIV have?
The person living with HIV has the right to expect that all records and communication are treated as confidential except in the case of abuse. The person living with HIV has the right to review his/her own medical records and request copies of them.
What is the first step after being diagnosed with HIV?
Finding a doctor is the first and most important step you will take after being diagnosed with HIV. Despite ever simpler drug regimens, HIV remains a dynamic disease that requires specially trained physicians able to deliver the high levels of care specific to your health needs.
Who has the right to know the identity of the physician, nurses, and others involved in his/her care?
The person with HIV has the right to know the identity of the physician, nurses and others involved in his/her care, including those who are students, residents, or other trainees. The person with HIV has the right to work with the physician or nurse in establishing their plan of care, including the refusal of a recommended treatment, ...
26 HIV Clinics Worldwide Found
Joint Commission International (JCI) identifies, measures, and shares best practices in quality and patient safety in the world.
Reviews of patients treated for HIV
Who can tell more about the clinic, amenities, and staff than someone who checked everything themselves? We collect the genuine experience of our patients for you to make the best choice.
What should I look for in a provider for HIV?
If you are able to choose your provider, you should look for someone who has a great deal of experience treating HIV. This matters because the more HIV experience your provider has, the more familiar he or she will be with the full range of treatment options that exist today, as well as the unique issues that can come up in HIV care over time. ...
What is a medical doctor?
Medical doctors (MD or DO): Health care professionals who are licensed to practice medicine. Nurse practitioners (NP): Registered nurses, with specialized graduate education, who can diagnose and treat illnesses independently, or as part of a health care team.
What are the different types of health care professionals?
Allied health care professionals: 1 Nurses: Health care professionals who provide and coordinate patient care as part of a health care team. 2 Mental health providers: Professionals, such as a counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist, who provide mental health care in the form of counselling or other types of therapy. 3 Pharmacists: Health care professionals who provide prescription medicines to patients and offer expertise in the safe use of prescriptions. Pharmacists may also provide advice on how to lead a healthy life; conduct health and wellness screenings; provide immunizations; and oversee medicines given to patients. 4 Nutritionists/dietitians: Experts in food and nutrition who advise people on what to eat in order to lead a healthy lifestyle or achieve a specific health-related goal. 5 Dentists: Health care professionals who diagnose and treat problems with a person’s teeth, gums, and related parts of the mouth. Dentists also provide advice and instruction on taking care of teeth and gums and on diet choices that affect oral health.
Can you change your doctor if you have HIV?
You can change doctors later if you need to. Your HIV health care provider should lead your health care team. That person will help you determine which HIV medicines are best for you, prescribe antiretroviral therapy (ART), monitor your progress, and partner with you in managing your health. He or she can also help put you in touch ...
What are some examples of HIV treatment?
These are just a few examples of effective, single pill, once-daily treatment options. Biktarvy. Triumeq. Symtuza. For the majority of patients, these HIV medicines are very tolerable and have very little side-effects.
How many people died from HIV in 2005?
Throughout the 80s and 90s, HIV infection rates and AIDs-related deaths rapidly increased, and by 2005, we saw the peak of AIDS-related deaths where 2 million people died in one year.
How long does it take for HIV to go down?
In established HIV infected individuals, a millilitre of blood can contain millions of viruses, however, modern treatment can now bring down the virus numbers to an undetectable level in as quickly as two weeks.
Can HIV be undetectable?
Once an HIV-positive individual's viral load in the blood becomes undetectable following treatment , the infection becomes ‘untransmittable’. Then as long as they continue taking their medication as prescribed to keep their viral load undetectable, there is effectively no risk of infecting others.
Their Approach to Health Care
Find a person who shares your basic philosophy about health care. Don't downplay the importance of this.
Qualifications and Office Practice
Your doctor should be board certified in internal medicine (IM) with a subspecialty in infectious disease (ID). If they specialize in HIV, even better. However, some doctors without all of these qualifications -- internists, family physicians, osteopaths -- do have experience treating people with HIV and take very good care of their patients.
Where to Look
Your primary care doctor may have the skills and experience to be your HIV doctor, too. If not, ask them to recommend a specialist.
Build a Good Relationship
One of the most important steps is to communicate and share your views. For example, let your doctor know if something isn't working well for you. At the same time, respect your doctor's concerns and knowledge, even if you don't agree.
