Hepatitis C and HIV in incarcerated populations: fights, bites, searches, and syringes!

Implications of hepatitis C (HCV) infection in corrections settings and learning needs of nurses whose primary expertise is care of HIV-infected individuals will be presented. This target group of nurses who provide care for HCV-infected patients includes nurses working in corrections settings, and community settings, whose clients have been or will be incarcerated, and advanced practice nurses working in a variety of settings. For nurses who work in the community setting, background information is presented on characteristics of the incarcerated and the environments of some different settings where incarceration occurs, such as county, state, juvenile, and federal institutions. Barriers to HCV prevention, testing, and treatment for incarcerated people are unique and different than for those living in the community. These distinctions are an important area of knowledge for nurses caring for patients who are HCV positive or at risk, whether they are practicing in a community or correctional setting.

Impact of HIV/AIDS education on health care provider practice: results from nine grantees of the Special Projects of National Significance Program.

The study assessed the impact of health care provider HIV/AIDS education and training on patient care from nine Special Projects of National Significance. Telephone interviews were conducted with 218 health care providers within 8 months, on average, following completion of training. Respondents provided examples of how the SPNS trainings affected their provision of patient/client care. Transcribed comments reflecting change in patient/client care were classified by independent coders under 1 of 10 broad practice change categories. Eighty-two percent of the trainees identified at least one instance of change in patient/client care as a function of their training experience. Self-reported findings included changes in the number/types of patients seen, interpersonal interactions with patients/clients, HIV testing and counseling practices, patient/family education, infection control, advocacy, referrals and collaboration, documentation, and other service changes.