AIDS nursing care and standardized nursing language: an application of the nursing intervention classification

Utility of a Standardized Nursing Terminology to Evaluate Dosage and Tailoring of an HIV/AIDS Adherence Intervention

PURPOSE

To illustrate the utility of a standardized nursing terminology to calculate the dosage of the Client Adherence Profiling-Intervention Tailoring (CAP-IT) and to determine the extent to which a tailored intervention was delivered to 117 persons with HIV/AIDS who participated in the experimental arm of a randomized controlled trial (RCT).

METHODS

The intervention nurse assigned nursing diagnoses from the Home Health Care Classification (HHCC) based upon CAP scores. During the IT phase of CAP-IT, the nurse delivered and documented a tailored set of nursing interventions associated with the CAP and assigned nursing diagnoses. Hierarchical linear regression was used to evaluate the extent to which the number of interventions and intervention times were tailored to client needs.

RESULTS

Linear regression models that included CAP scores and nursing diagnoses as predictor variables explained 53.2% of the variance in total number of interventions and 58.9% of the variance in intervention time.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of the standardized nursing terminology enabled calculation of the intervention dose and documentation that a tailored intervention was delivered.

Nursing practice for HIV/AIDS fever care: a descriptive study

Nurses often perceive fever in relation to the impact it has on specific patient populations. Fever in HIV/AIDS patients is a common symptom. This descriptive study explored how nurses in AIDS care defined and described fever in HIV/AIDS patients and used nursing interventions for fever management. Seventy-five registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and LPNs employed in AIDS care throughout Florida were surveyed concerning interventions for AIDS-related fever. The study revealed that nurses in AIDS care treat fever by providing patient comfort, initiating nursing interventions for low-grade to moderate fever, and notifying the primary care provider if nursing interventions do not keep the temperature below 100.9 degrees F. The sample provided a variety of nursing interventions to make the patient more comfortable. In addition, the study also revealed a unique perspective for fever care, which influences the practice of nurses in AIDS care and might differentiate nursing practice in AIDS care from other nursing specialties. However, some interventions differed from fever nursing management strategies published by the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. Further research needs to explore the efficacy of these interventions.