HIV/AIDS

CE Information

Target Audience

This activity is intended for nurse practitioners and other advanced practice clinicians involved in the care of patients with HIV/AIDS.

Program Overview

Despite increased public awareness and the development of preventive strategies, the spread of HIV disease has continued at a robust pace. The latest estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that more than 4 million patients—more than 11,000 per day—were newly infected with HIV in 2005.¹ During the same year, nearly 3 million people worldwide died from AIDS-related causes.¹

Significant changes have occurred in the management of HIV/AIDS in the US since the disease was first identified nearly three decades ago; it is now considered a preventable—and treatable—chronic illness. While the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has resulted in significant decreases in HIV-related morbidity and mortality,² it has created new challenges for clinicians, including the decision of when to initiate treatment and how to best combine agents, as well as ways to maximize patient adherence.

While the complexity of HAART most often requires consultation with infectious disease  (ID) specialists, primary care providers are instrumental in providing ongoing management and care coordination, as well as in treating HIV-related complications. In order to inhibit the spread of the disease, these providers must also be able to effectively counsel patients on how to prevent transmission of the virus. By receiving continuing education on the most up-to-date, optimal strategies for the management of patients with, or at increased risk for, HIV/AIDS and by working in tandem with ID experts, NPs will be able to make improvements to their clinical practice and to positively impact patient outcomes.

Learning Objectives

After completing this activity, participants should be better able to:

• Discuss the increasing prevalence of HIV and its projected impact on future primary care
• Identify patients at risk for HIV infection
• Utilize routine HIV testing and strategies to reduce the risk of HIV infection and transmission
• Explain overall management guidelines for antiretroviral therapy
• Develop and implement strategies to ensure HIV-positive patients enter appropriate treatment and to maximize patient response to therapy

Accreditation

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with Nurse Practitioner Associates for Continuing Education (NPACE). NPACE is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Massachusetts Association of Registered Nurses, Inc., an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. This activity is supported by an independent educational grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.

CE Credit Information

NPACE designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Particpants should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

There are no fees for participating in or receiving credit for this online educational activity. For information on applicability and acceptance of continuing education credit for this activity, please consult your professional licensing board.

In order to obtain CE credit for participation in this activity, participants must:

1. Read the learning objectives and disclosure statements
2. Study the educational activity
3. Complete the posttest by recording the best answer to each question
4. Complete the evaluation form
5. Submit online the posttest/activity evaluation to print your certificate

References

1. UNAIDS. Global Facts and Figures 2006. Available online at: http://www.unaids.org/en/HIV_data/2006GlobalReport/press-kit.asp.
   Accessed July 12, 2007.
2. Grinsztejn B, Veloso VG, Pilotto JH, et al. Comparison of Clinical Response to Initial Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in the Patients in Clinical Care in the United States and Brazil. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2007; [Epub ahead of print].