The mysteries and demands of HIV care

Qualitative analyses of HIV specialists’ views on their expertise

Datos Bibliográficos

ID19443587
AutoresBarbara Gerbert (University of California, San Francisco), Nona Caspers (University of California, San Francisco), J Moe (University of California System), James C Moe (University of California, San Francisco), Kathleen Clanon (Alameda Health System), P Abercrombie (c Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences , San Francisco General Hospital, University of California , San Francisco , California , USA), Priscilla D Abercrombie (San Francisco General Hospital), Karen Herzig (University of California, San Francisco)
Año2004
Volumen16
Número3
Páginas363-376
Fecha de publicación2004-04-01
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAIDS Care (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0954-0121 • E-ISSN: 1360-0451
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09540120410001665367
PMID15203429
OpenAlexW2076037900
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas5
Referencias citadas31

To deepen our understanding of the mysteries and demands associated with HIV care and to inform the debate about HIV specialization, we conducted in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 20 identified HIV specialists in the San Francisco Bay Area. Participants were from several medical specialties and reported a median of 50% of their time spent in HIV patient care. Through constant comparison, a template of open codes was constructed to identify themes that emerged from the data. Data were analyzed according to the conventions of qualitative research and revealed six interrelated themes: (1) coping with uncertainty and rapid change: being 'comfortable with mystery'; (2) the powerful role of experience; (3) the dual faces of knowledge: 'knowing the patient' and 'knowing the facts'; (4) the dual faces of passion: challenge and calling; (5) stress and burnout; and (6) the relationship between academia and 'the trenches'. The themes underscore the dual dimensions of HIV care: providers must interweave the 'half-baked' science about drug therapies, side effects and drug interactions with the psychosocial and lifestyle factors of the patient. They also provide insight into quantitative findings linking greater HIV experience with better patient outcomes and suggest that providers need skills associated with generalist and specialist training, a phenomenon that argues for a 'special' specialty for HIV care

Burnout · Family medicine · Medical education · Passion · Psychosocial · Psychotherapist · Qualitative research · Sociology · Specialty · Clinical Psychology · HIV-related health complications and treatments · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Social Psychology