Nursing Care of AIDS Patient by Case Management

Abstract

            The purpose of this article was to present the nursing care of two cases of AIDS patients visited Tha Uthen hospital. Nursing care in AIDS patients is complicated according to the opportunistic infection, tuberculosis, together with the drug resistance derived from discontinuous treatment. As a result, AIDS patients could suffer both physically and mentally from incurable diseases. They must be treated continuously because they are facing illnesses and has to adjust themselves to live with others in society. The study consisted of the holistic assessment of patients’ health covering the physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual aspects according to the Gordon’s health model and the nursing care plan using the nursing process in combination with case management.

               The outcomes consisted of helping patients to take health self–care, management the advert event from disease and drug treatment, prevention of infection and transmission of infection to family members, management of sadness and worthlessness feeling, role play adjustment, family burden management, encouragement in living with the disease and returning to normal life. In addition, nurses must provide the knowledge and consult to the patient’s family, which is crucial in accepting the condition of the illness, participating in caring and preventing the various complications. As a result, the patients could be able to comply properly with the doctor’s treatment plan and be able to take care of themselves properly when they are at home. The continuously follow–up patient visits by the multidisciplinary team to assess the patient’s condition, treatment results, the management of environment around patient’s residential area appropriately and the coordinating in the community for patient healthcare will reduce the disease complications, healthcare costs and therefore the improvement of patient’s quality of life.