AIDS nursing: patient care issues in the hospital setting
Walent, R.J.
Oncology 6(2) 131-136; 139; Dis: 139-142, 144
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0890-9091 PMID: 1532497 Document Number: 395945
The types of settings in which the acute care of AIDS patients takes place range from AIDS-designated units to general medical-surgical wards. Though the settings may differ, many of the nursing interventions that these patients require remain relatively consistent. Alterations in respiratory, neurological, gastrointestinal, and integumentary systems are common in individuals with HIV infection, requiring nursing measures to address such problems as diarrhea, fever, poor nutrition, mucositis, impaired oxygenation, dyspnea, alterations in sensation and perception, impaired skin integrity, bleeding risk, pain, and altered thought processes. In addition, the bedside nurse is often in a position that enables him or her to coordinate a multidisciplinary approach to selected problems.