Ian Hodgson
Bradford, UK
Report of the Second NHIVNA Conference
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Ian Hodgson
Bradford, UK Report of the Second NHIVNA Conference
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Webplaced: 18th February 2001 The second national conference of the
National HIV Nurses’ Association (NHIVNA) was held at the Manchester
Metropolitan University on the 29th and 30th June 2000.
Attended by over 150 people, the event was another milestone in the
consolidation and expansion of NHIVNA. Entitled ‘HIV Care: Challenging
Inequalities in the 21st Century’, the conference demonstrated a
key commitment to address matters of social justice and the specific needs of
people who may be disadvantaged because of culture, gender, or their location on
the margins of society. Two vital and empowering opening
addresses set the scene for the event. Dr Jean Faugier spoke of the
rapidly changing context of HIV care in the UK, and the need for visionary
leaders in organisations able to respond with appropriate and insightful
strategies of care. Lisa Power of the Terence Higgins Trust spoke
directly to the theme of the conference – the very real inequalities manifest
in the contexts of HIV prevention as well as the provision of care. This
excellent exposition highlighted a number of central concerns and presented some
challenges for nursing – to keep HIV on the agenda, to share expertise, and
(perhaps most importantly, given the theme of the conference) to challenge
discrimination. Plenary sessions built on the core theme of the conference. Mary Okoth of Positively Women addressed issues for Black Africans, and highlighted the necessity for carers to understand the perspective of other cultures – the need to breastfeed for example is strong in many societies, and advice to the contrary provokes conflict and confrontation if not culturally sensitive. Priscilla Nkwonti of the Manchester-based Black Sexual Health Project discussed the local experience of HIV amongst the African, Asian and Caribbean communities, highlighting the stigma and isolation that can exist for people infected with HIV. HIV and AIDS in children and women was
also addressed: Margaret Clapson gave an insightful presentation
concerning HIV in children, discussing the increasingly important issues of
disclosure and sex education, as highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART)
allows more children to survive into adolescence. Denise MacDowell, of
Manchester organisation George House Trust focused on the experiences of women
living with HIV, and with an accompanying service user provided an important
insight into some of the difficulties, exacerbated in many instances by the
person not being a UK national. Helen Rivas-Toros, of the Assisted
Conception Unit at the Chelsea and Westminster, gave an exceptional overview of
assisted reproduction for discordant couples, in which the sperm of HIV positive
men is ‘washed’, in order to allow their HIV negative partners to be
artificially inseminated. Jane Peasland,
who shared details of a project based in Earl’s Court, considered the context
of the double jeopardy of HIV positive alcohol and drug users. People in this
group are often unable to adhere to anti-retroviral treatment owing to their
already ‘chaotic’ lifestyles, and this project is designed to provide
much-needed support in order to improve the quality of life, and also to ensure
substance misuse is kept high on the agenda for policy planning. This
presentation was indirectly linked to another, given by Dr Alison Uriel,
focusing on hepatitis C virus (HCV). A common infection amongst drug users, HCV
is beginning to create significant difficulties for people who are HIV positive,
as HAART dramatically extends the period of survival. This allows complications
of HCV infection to emerge, and the more aggressive nature of HCV in the context
of HIV induced immuno-suppression is of great concern. Other plenary presentations provided
important updates on the ‘state’ of HIV. Research Nurse/Epidemiologist Vicky
Gilbart placed the UK incidence of HIV within a European and Global context.
As well as the divide between the northern and southern hemispheres, there are
also marked differences within Europe. The highest incidence is in Spain and
Italy, where drug users are the main effected group. Dr Ed Wilkins,
provided a vital overview from a medical perspective, highlighting the
difficulties of managing HAART, especially in the context of resistance, and the
need to encourage adherence. Henry Grahame-Smith, who gave presentations
in his usual informative and entertaining style, also addressed treatment and
adherence. The concurrent sessions were of an
exceptionally high standard, a large number reporting research studies from
various parts of the UK and Germany. They addressed contexts as diverse as:
people living with HIV and AIDS; explanatory models of HIV in health care
workers; specific projects (e.g. at the Mildmay Hospital); and international
topics, such as care for the dying in Kenya, and a retrospective of HAART in
Germany. Three were awarded prizes from the Krattiger-Rennison Charitable Trust,
for their contribution to the improvement in HIV care. Martin Jones (CNS,
Eastbourne) was awarded the £1000 prize for his original research ‘Health
promotion priorities of people at different points in the course of HIV
infection’. Further awards were given to: Mark Hayter
(University of Sheffield) for his paper ‘Inequality of access to care:
a national survey of the prevalence of and attitudes towards post exposure
prophylaxis for HIV infection among nurses and health advisors working in genito-urinary
medicine in the UK’; and Linda Tucker (CNS, Portsmouth), who presented
a paper ‘Prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in a genito-urinary
medicine same day testing service’. An award for the best poster went to Craig
Waterworth (CNS, London), for his display ‘Changing times: patients
experiences and perceptions of antiretroviral therapy’. A group of student
nurses from the University of Sheffield were also given a special prize of £250
for their poster presentation: A study to investigate the attitudes and
awareness of 15-17 year olds relating to HIV and AIDS. This conference was designed to address the changing topography of HIV care, by considering the rapidly emerging issue of inequality - also the focus of the 13th International AIDS Conference, held in Durban, South Africa. The complexities and challenges surrounding HIV and AIDS care should not diminish our resolve to improve the support of all people affected by the virus, and maybe the words of Richard Wells should be invoked to remind us of that imperative: if we get it right for AIDS, we get it right for everything else.
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Webmaster: Ian HodgsonPage updated February 18, 2001 |
