Treatment of HIV/AIDS in the nursing home: variations in rural and urban long-term care settings.
OBJECTIVE
With the increased use of antiretroviral therapy, more patients with human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) are surviving for long periods of time. The aim of this study was to determine the availability of specialty HIV/AIDS services in long-term care facilities, and to determine differences in the availability of these services between rural and urban nursing homes.


METHODS
1,423 nursing homes from the 1999 National Nursing Home Survey were stratified by rural/urban status and compared using chi2 analysis and logistic regression.


RESULTS
Less than 1% of surveyed nursing homes in the United States provided specialty HIV/AIDS services. While there was evidence that larger nursing homes are more likely to provide HIV/AIDS-related services, there were no significant differences between rural and urban nursing homes in the provision of specialty HIV/AIDS services.


CONCLUSIONS
A vast majority of nursing homes in the United States do not provide any specialty areas for HIV/AIDS care. As our population ages and the life span of those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS continues to increase, nursing homes will begin to see patients diagnosed with HIV/ AIDS among those seeking care.
Pearson
William S
WS
Department of Health Services Policy and Management, Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, USA.
Hueston
William J
WJ
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006295:Health Resources; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D009735:Nursing Homes; D019035:Rural Health Services; D014481:United States; D019037:Urban Health Services