Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS): Cultural Issues in Nursing Approach and Mental Disorders' Management

Abstract

Nursing care of patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is based on the comprehension, the respect and the holistic management of the disease, including in the mental disorders commonly co-occurring. Various situations have different meaning to different people, including patients with AIDS as well as nurses who provide care to them. An in-depth exploration of each health care professional’s personal, cultural and professional views and attitudes towards patients could be described as a process through which nurses are examining their own positions and prejudices that affect the interaction with patients. Through every day nursing practice and problem solving procedures, the nurses will be able to detect and recognize mental state’s variations and psychological reactions of patients with AIDS. The effort to adopt a mutually acceptable plan of care interacts positively as a part of the learning experience shared by the nurse and the patient and aims to use the individual’s beliefs, lifestyle and practices in order to reach out and to cope with mental disorders, usually occur in patients with AIDS.