Reframing "prevention with positives": incorporating counseling techniques that improve the health of HIV-positive patients.
Federal HIV prevention strategy seeks to increase efforts by health care providers to identify and reduce their HIV-positive patients' transmission-related behaviors. Implementation of these recommendations will be hindered if providers perceive these efforts have the potential to harm their relationships with patients. Because transmission-related behaviors (unsafe sex and sharing needles) and the related issues of drug and alcohol use also jeopardize the health of HIV-positive patients, providers can use patient-centered counseling when addressing those behaviors. We suggest efforts to increase provider-delivered transmission-prevention counseling be reframed so that "prevention with positives" includes the goal of protecting HIV-positive patients' health. We review the specific consequences of these risky behaviors on HIV-positive patients' health and review brief counseling strategies appropriate for HIV care providers.
Gerbert
Barbara
B
Division of Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco, 94117, USA. Barbara.gerbert@ucsf.edu
Danley
Dale W
DW
Herzig
Karen
K
Clanon
Kathleen
K
Ciccarone
Daniel
D
Gilbert
Paul
P
Allerton
Michael
M
D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D006679:HIV Seropositivity; D006282:Health Personnel; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012309:Risk-Taking