Nurses: A missing piece in the HIV prevention efforts?
Abstract
In the fight against HIV, the escalation of prevention efforts is fundamental in reversing the tide against the pandemic. Many collective voices have been raised and this is laudable; the voices of women, who are is proportionately affected by the scourge of the epidemic, are only faintly heard. Adding to those voices advocating for prevention, could be the voices of health care workers, especially those of nurses.
This article addresses some of the prevention issues that need to be addressed by health care workers in raising awareness of the existing methods of prevention to advocating for newer methods. Some of these methods, like microbicides which are still in the pipeline, need the support of health care workers who will be important implementers in the eventuality of these methods becoming available. A call to action is made on various activities where individual nurses could be involved both in informing themselves and also by joining the voices of many others who could be influential in this regard.
This article addresses some of the prevention issues that need to be addressed by health care workers in raising awareness of the existing methods of prevention to advocating for newer methods. Some of these methods, like microbicides which are still in the pipeline, need the support of health care workers who will be important implementers in the eventuality of these methods becoming available. A call to action is made on various activities where individual nurses could be involved both in informing themselves and also by joining the voices of many others who could be influential in this regard.