Changes in Patient Care as a Result of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

Journal of Health Occupations Education, Jul 2015

The purpose of this study was to determine changes in policies and procedures relative to patient care since 1985 in an attempt to identify how local health care agencies are responding to problems associated with care of Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome individuals. Questionnaires were mailed either to the director of Nursing or the Director of Education in each of 75 local health care facilities. Information relative to current changes in poiicies and procedures is necessary to reduce potential liabilities against health occupations students being misinformed or contracting che disease because of deficiencies in instruction. The findings indicated that (a) changes in” , policy and procedures occurred, (b) changes in attitudes of health care workers were evident, and (c) students in health occupations programs were not adequately informed relative to recommended guidelines prior to being assigned to clinical agencies.

A PDF file should load here. If you do not see its contents the file may be temporarily unavailable at the journal website or you do not have a PDF plug-in installed and enabled in your browser.

Alternatively, you can download the file locally and open with any standalone PDF reader:

https://stars.library.ucf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1040&context=jhoe

Changes in Patient Care as a Result of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

Journal of Health Occupations Education Changes in Patient Care as a Result of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Janice R. Sandiford Ph.D. 0 Lorene S. Farris Ed.D. 0 Florida International University 0 Florida International University 0 University of Central Florida Libraries , USA Recommended Citation - policies and procedures relative to patient care since 1985 in an attempt to identify how local health care agencies are responding to problems associated with care of Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome individuals. Questionnaires were mailed either to the director of Nursing or the Director of Education in each of 75 local health care facilities. Information relative to current changes in poiicies and procedures is necessary to reduce potential liabilities against health occupations students being misinformed or contracting che disease because of deficiencies in instruction. The findings indicated that (a) changes in” , policy and procedures occurred, (b) changes in attitudes of health care workers were evident, and (c) students in health occupations programs ‘Janice R. Sandiford, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Health Occupations Education, College of Education at Florida International University; and Lorene S. Farris, Ed.D., is a Professor in the School of Nursing at Florida International University. I Published by STARS, 1988 36 1 Sandiford and Farris: Changes in Patient Care as a Result of AIDS Changes in Patient Care Survey of the Literature Recent professional literature has attended to problems of caring for individuals diagnosed with AIDS or carrying the virus. IL was noc possible to refer to all documents available in the professional and general literature because che number was unmanageably large. For purposes of this study the researchers chose to Limit the search of the Literature to those references deaLing with the scope of the probLem, practitioner knowLedge of the disease, and practitioner attitudes. Scope of the ProbLem “Since its initial recognition in 198L, the Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has become a globaL pandemic” (Quinn, L987, p. 7). In the United States in 1987, AIDS struck more than 20,000 people, increasing the number of cases past 50,000 (“20,000 New”, 1988) . Quinn (1987) estimated over 270,000 cases of AIDS will have developed in the United States by L99L, from the present pooL of 1-2 million HIV infected individuals. Florida reported 826 new cases from January to mid-August 1987 with a mortaLity rate approaching 64% (Morris, L987). From this frightening number emerges increasing responsibiLities for health care providers who respond to these increasing patient care loads. AIDS poses many serious challenges for the nation: legal, ethicaL, and practical. Even greater challenges await health care professionals who need to be concerned with protecting (a) individuals having the disease, (b) other sick and injured individuals from innocently contracting the disease, and (c) themselves from contracting the disease. It 38 Journal of Health Occupations Education, Vol. 3 [1988], No. 1, Art. 5 Changes in Patient Care is evident that health care professionals are concerned. :hev are voicing their concern by their actions and expression of attitudes. Recently, Nursing Life (1986 ) asked readers to respond to a situation related to resuscitating a patient with AIDS. Responses indicated this to be a highly charged issue and suggested many nurses did not want to jeopardize their health. The poll found (a) 60% of nurses would not resuscitate this patient, and (b) 16% have refused care for AIDS patients. Abrams (1986) , an ethicist, stated it was unreasonable to expect anyone, including health care workers to administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a patient with AIDS. This attitude could result in major legal battles, neglect of patients, unfilled vacancies, and fLight from the profession. Health care workers are at risk. In Flay 1987, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported a total of nine health care workers had been infected with huzna~ immunodeficiency virus (HIV) after having either (a) directly cared for AIDS patients, (b) had needle stick exposure, or (c) had exposure to blood without a needle stick. However, at the June, 1987, meeting of the American Nurses Association House of Delegates, the motion passed to urge all health care workers to become familiar with CDC guidelines and reaffirm commitment to provide care to all people in need of services regardless of illness (American Nurses Association, 1987) . One change in care of AIDS clients is reflected in a change in policy and procedures due to weekly updates from The Centers for Disease Control 39 Changes in Patient Care which publishes che Morbiditv and }lortalitv Weeiiv ReDort on prevention HIV transmission in health care settings. The p~evio~sly recommended isolation category of blood and body fluid precautions for ..iIDS patients only has changed to a universal blood (...truncated)


This is a preview of a remote PDF: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1040&context=jhoe

Janice R. Sandiford Ph.D., Lorene S. Farris Ed.D.. Changes in Patient Care as a Result of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, Journal of Health Occupations Education, 2015, Volume 3, Issue 1,