Establishing a Code of Practice for Staff in Contact with HIV Sero-Positive Patients

This article outlines the steps taken by a special health authority to establish appropriate guidelines on the management of HIV and AIDS patients. Occupational therapy guidelines were consequently established to protect staff from possible infections while minimising any stigma.

HIV/AIDS: A New Service Continuum for Occupational Therapy

The first cases of what is now known as AIDS were reported in the USA in June 1981. The first article on occupational therapy for people with HIV/AIDS was published 6 years later in July 1987. Since that time, much has been written about the work of occupational therapists with people affected by HIV or AIDS. This article presents some of the material published on this area of work, and suggests that occupational therapy has much more to offer this group of people than is described in the literature. A new continuum of service provision is outlined and discussed. This includes practice that falls outside what might be considered the traditional role of occupational therapists. Although this article is specific to HIV/AIDS, many of the issues raised are applicable to other areas of practice.

‘Positive Preparation’: Educational Input on HIV/AIDS in British Occupational Therapy Schools

This article presents the results of a national postal survey to determine the type and amount of educational input on HIV/AIDS received by British occupational therapy students. All respondents (18/25 courses, 72%) indicated that they currently provided such input, with an average of 11.9 hours of course time being devoted to it. The majority of presenters were occupational therapists, although colleagues from many other backgrounds were also involved. Much of the material was considered in small group settings, with the content being balanced among a range of aspects. The article concludes that most British occupational therapy students are ‘positively prepared’ to work with clients with HIV/AIDS.

Just the Jobs? A Student Readership Survey of the British Journal of Occupational Therapy

This article describes a student readership survey of the British Journal of Occupational Therapy conducted with the 1987–1988 occupational therapy finalist students at Liverpool Institute of Higher Education. The aim of the research was to determine if this journal meets students' needs and if they, in turn, make appropriate use of it. This was achieved by comparing the numbers of students interested in various sections and categories of the journal with the number of journal pages allocated to each of these areas. The findings indicate that student needs and allocation of journal space correlate in 67% of the categories and sections. Reasons for the non-correlation of the remaining 33% are discussed.