mental health AIDS

Spring 2007 Newsletter / Volume 8, Issue 3

HIV Treatment News

Medical Care

Himelhoch, Powe, Breakey, and Gebo (2007) conducted

a cross-sectional study of a random, national sample of HIV experts drawn from the membership of the American Academy of HIV Medicine. Participants were mailed a self-administered questionnaire with a case vignette of a new onset AIDS patient and were specifically asked whether or not they would recommend HAART [highly active antiretroviral therapy] treatment. Vignettes were randomly assigned to include a diagnosis of schizophrenia or not. ... [The investigators] located 649 clinicians (93%); 347 responded (53.4%). Responders and non-responders did not differ in demographics or work characteristics. (p. 110)

Himelhoch and colleagues report that "[r]ecommendation of [ARV] treatment did not differ between those who received a case vignette with schizophrenia versus those who did not ... . Compared to those who received a case vignette without schizophrenia, those who received vignettes with schizophrenia were more likely to avoid prescribing efavirenz, a medication with known neuropsychiatric side effects, ... more likely to agree to be helped by a [mental health] specialist ..., and more likely to recommend directly observed therapy ..." (p. 110). The investigators conclude that "HIV clinicians recognize the importance of recommending HAART treatment to individuals with schizophrenia and AIDS and [to] avoid using [ARV] medication with known neuropsychiatric side effects" (p.110), but stress that "[f]urther work is needed to assure these vignette findings actually translate into clinical practice" (p. 118).

Indicates this file is in Adobe PDF format and requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader program.

Disclaimer Privacy Policy Accessibility Department of Health and Human Services