The status of HIV/AIDS nursing in Australia: a specialty in decline?

Since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), occasions of service for patients with HIV/AIDS have altered drastically. HIV/AIDS nurses perceived that this change in activity had caused an exodus from the specialty by experienced nurses, and those that remained were rapidly deskilling. A survey of nurses working in HIV/AIDS in Australia and New Zealand was conducted to assess the impact of HAART on nursing skills and retention. More than 72% of respondents reported that they had lost some or many clinical HIV/AIDS nursing skills. About 37% of nurses reported that they were losing confidence in their knowledge of the management of opportunistic infections and cancers. About 27% reported larger numbers of nurses leaving their specialty area than in previous years. To enable nurses to respond rapidly to a potential decline in the effectiveness of HAART, this loss in skills and knowledge must be addressed.