Fact Sheet Number 202
PROVIDER
- WHY IS CHOOSING AN HIV CARE PROVIDER
IMPORTANT?
- TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
- DO YOU HAVE SIMILAR IDEAS ABOUT TREATING
HIV?
- THE PROVIDER-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP
- AVAILABILITY
- CONFIDENTIALITY
- HELP YOUR PROVIDER HELP YOU
- CHANGING PROVIDERS
- TO FIND A HEALTH CARE PROVIDER
- THE BOTTOM LINE
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PrintAN HIV CARE PROVIDER IMPORTANT?
Treating HIV disease is very complicated. There are choices to
consider at every stage of the disease. It’s best if you and
your health care provider work together as a team. That makes
it easier to choose and stick to your treatment plan. “Care
provider” means a doctor, a physician’s assistant, or a nurse
practitioner.
There are several issues you may want to consider in choosing
an HIV care provider. You might decide to have them be your “regular
doctor” for all of your health issues. You might use a different
care provider for most health issues and use your HIV provider
as a specialist. If your regular provider isn’t an HIV specialist,
be sure they regularly get expert advice on HIV issues.
TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
Many people with HIV/AIDS get their care from physicians who are
specialists in infectious diseases. However, especially now
that people are living longer with HIV, it’s important to deal
with all of your health issues. You might prefer to have a family
practitioner or a specialist in internal medicine as your primary
physician.
No matter what their specialty, you will get better HIV care
from providers who have experience treating people at all stages
of HIV disease. Be sure to ask how many patients with HIV they
have treated, and how many they currently see. HIV patients do
better when their physicians have more experience treating HIV
disease.
DO YOU HAVE SIMILAR IDEAS ABOUT TREATING HIV?
Some providers are conservative. They prefer “tried and
true” methods. Others are more aggressive. They are willing
to try new and experimental treatments. Some are optimistic
by nature, and focus on the hopeful or positive side when they
talk about test results or future prospects. Others are more
realistic. Some are pessimistic.
Some providers are comfortable suggesting “complementary
and alternative” therapies such as massage, acupuncture,
or herbs. Others stick strictly to western medicine.
If you want a lot of emotional support, you probably won’t
be comfortable with a health care provider who only talks about
test results. The more comfortable you are with their approach
to HIV treatments, the easier it will be for you to get the kind
of health care you want. Talk to providers and their patients
before you make your choice.
PATIENT RELATIONSHIP
Many patients do better when they take an active role in planning
their own health care. These patients do a lot of reading on
their own, and bring information to their providers. They work
together to make health care decisions.
Other patients are more comfortable with the provider making
important decisions. Decide how you want to work with your provider.
See if that fits with the way the provider likes to work with
patients.
The best care provider won’t do you any good if you can’t get
in to see them. Ask them (or their receptionist) how long it
usually takes to get an appointment. Find out how well they usually
stay on schedule during the day.
The type of insurance you have could limit your choice of a
provider. Maybe the provider isn’t on the list for your health
maintenance organization (HMO) or insurance plan. Be sure to
find out how you will be able to pay for their services.
Remember, you don’t need an HIV specialist to help you with
most of your health care needs. If a good HIV provider is hard
to find, or if it’s hard to get an appointment, use a non-HIV
care provider for your general health care. Just be sure that
when you are dealing with HIV issues, you see an experienced HIV
provider, or one who consults with an expert in HIV.
Some people are very concerned about keeping their HIV status
private. You might choose to get your HIV care from a provider
in another town to protect your privacy. You will need to find
your own balance between confidentiality and convenience.
HELP YOU
Make sure that your provider has all the information needed to
give the best advice about your treatment. This starts with your
medical records, which may have to be transferred from another
office. When you start working with a new provider, they will
probably do a lot of tests to collect “baseline” information.
This helps you see how well you’re doing as time goes by.
Be sure your provider knows how you feel about using medications,
and about your illness. Some people don’t mind taking a lot of
pills. Other people would rather take as few as possible. Your
provider should also know about other treatments you are using
or want to try, including non-medical ones.
Be honest about your lifestyle. Your eating, sleeping, and
work patterns can make a difference for your health care. So
can your sexual practices and use of recreational drugs. If your
provider seems too judgmental, try to change providers. It’s
better to have provider who really knows you instead of holding
back information.
Let your provider know about the important people in your life:
the people who will support you if you get sick, or will help
you make important medical decisions.
Your health care needs might change as time goes by. Also, your
ideas about treatment could change. Although you will probably
get better medical care from a provider who has known you for
a long time, you always have the right to stop seeing one provider
and change to another.
CARE PROVIDER
You can get help finding a care provider from your case manager
or from your local Department of Health. You can also ask other
people living with HIV.
HIV medical care is very complicated, and changes quickly. This
makes it important to find an HIV care provider who works with
HIV/AIDS patients and is committed to staying up to date. Your
relationship with an HIV provider will be better if you are comfortable
with each other’s personal style and approach to dealing with
health issues in general, and HIV in particular.
Reviewed October 18, 2002
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