title: Essential nursing competencies related to HIV and AIDS.
abstract: With nearly 33 million global citizens living with HIV or AIDS, the need for a highly qualified, competent nursing workforce is critical. With the recent increase in global funding to expand access to antiretroviral therapy, there have been considerable efforts to improve the capacity of nurses to initiate and maintain antiretroviral therapy while evaluating its effectiveness, monitoring for side effects, reducing the incidence of drug-drug interactions (including drug interactions related to therapies provided by traditional healers), promoting adherence to therapies, and providing management of symptoms. Therefore, using a participatory action approach, nursing leaders from six sub-Saharan African countries collaborated to develop the essential nursing competencies related to HIV and AIDS. These competencies can help to guide preservice education related to HIV and AIDS, to strengthen in-service or capacity-building programs designed for already qualified nurses, and to guide policy and regulatory reform in the context of task-shifting, task-sharing, and scope of nursing practices.
authors.affiliation: Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Michael V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Relf
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mekwa
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chasokela
authors.forename: Winnie
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nhlengethwa
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Letsie
authors.forename: Jasintha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mtengezo
authors.forename: Keabitsa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ramantele
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Diesel
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Booth
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: R Kevin
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Mallinson
authors.forename: Dorothy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: Adele
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liddle
authors.forename: Janette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu-Shears
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Aranda-Naranjo
authors.forename: Deborah Parham
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Hopson
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000451:nursing*; D006801:Humans; D009729:Nursing