How significant is persistent chest pain in a young HIV-positive patient during acute inpatient rehabilitation? a case report

Human immunodeficiency virus infection and pneumothorax

Pneumothorax is a serious and relatively frequent complication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection that may associate with increased morbidity and mortality and may prove difficult to manage, especially in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

The acute care physical therapy HIV/AIDS patient population: a descriptive study

This study was based on an analysis of an existing database compiled from 475 medical records of people living with HIV/AIDS admitted to an acute-care hospital in New York City in 2004. The characteristics of patients with HIV infection that received physical therapy were determined. Differences between patients with HIV infection that did and did not receive physical therapy, as well as predictors of receipt of physical therapy, were identified. The physical therapy subgroup (n = 69) had a mean age of 48.3 years, consisted of more men than women, and was predominately black, with public health insurance. Admissions were commonly due to non-AIDS-defining illness as the primary diagnoses, accompanied by several comorbidities. Admissions often presented with functional deficits, incurred a prolonged length of stay, and required assistance at discharge. Differences existed between the physical therapy subgroup and the non-physical therapy subgroup (n = 406). Predictors of receipt of physical therapy were functional status on admission and length of stay.

Clinical Sequelae Affecting Quality of Life in the HIV-Infected Patient

Physical and mental changes resulting from HIV infection and its treatment can affect a patient's quality of life (QOL). Some of the most commonly reported symptoms affecting QOL in HIV-infected patients are fatigue, pain, anxiety/depression, and sleep disturbances. Fatigue often has a multifactorial etiology, including advanced HIV disease, opportunistic infections, poor nutrition, hormonal insufficiency, and anemia. Pain is one of the most overlooked factors by clinicians. Anxiety/depression and sleep disturbances are experienced by many HIV-infected individuals and are highly correlated with the perception and progression of disease. Although these common clinical symptoms impact QOL in HIV-positive patients, there are no established guidelines for treating them. As pain, anxiety/depression, and sleep disturbances can influence fatigue, as well as each other, the HIV care provider should monitor them closely because their severity reflects the clinical course of HIV as well as the overall well-being of the patient.

Nurses' willingness to manage the pain of specific groups of patients

Effective pain management remains a challenge for the nursing profession. While nurses' knowledge of appropriate pain strategies has improved considerably, additional research needs to be conducted into the influence of factors other than knowledge on the management of pain. This study examined the willingness of nurses (n = 157) and nursing students (n = 265) to spend time and energy managing the pain of different groups of patients, when told that all patients had the same degree of pain. The willingness of nurses to spend time and energy in managing patients' pain was used as a proxy for preconceived notions relative to particular groups of patients. A pattern emerged that suggested that nurses' and nursing students' willingness to spend time and energy managing patients' pain in influenced by their perceptions of different groups of patients.