Women in the HIV Epidemic

Lesbian, gay and bisexual experiences within critical care nursing, 1988-1998: a survey of the literature

The aim of this paper is to provide an analysis of the extent to which gay, lesbian and bisexual service user experiences are represented within the critical care literature. A survey of five well established critical care journals, covering the period 1988-1998, was conducted in order to reveal the range of themes addressed within them. The findings suggest that these groups are invisible in this field of practice and consequently their particular concerns have remained marginalised. The implications of this absence are far reaching, potentially inhibiting nurses from establishing effective caring relationships with either lesbians, gays or bisexuals and from identifying and developing appropriate interventions for the care of these patients and their families.

Women with HIV infection: the three waves of scientific inquiry

Initial efforts to curtail the spread of HIV infection to women failed. Consequently, women are the fastest growing population newly infected with HIV. This article presents a historical look at the waves of scientific inquiry that directed research on HIV infection among women. The author proposes three distinct waves. Each has been shaped by movement within the scientific community away from traditional biomedical and public health approaches toward feminist strategies that embrace the social, political, and cultural forces that influence women's health. These waves provide both valuable insights for nurses new to the field of HIV and a framework to guide future research on women with HIV infection.

Ethical issues experienced by HIV-infected African-American women

The epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has led to many ethical problems. Most studies have focused on the ethical issues faced by nurses who provide care to persons with AIDS (PWA), rather than the ethical issues faced by PWAs themselves. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore the ethical issues faced by five HIV/AIDS-infected African-American women. An analysis of interview data revealed that these women deal with four broad categories of ethical issues: diagnosis; disclosure; treatment by, and of, others; and future pregnancies. The results of this study provide an initial description of the ethical issues faced by HIV/AIDS-infected African-American women, and begin to lay the foundation necessary for nurses appropriately to facilitate and support their decisions.