A model of preventive psychosocial care for people with HIV disease

People suffering from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have vast psychosocial needs that begin with diagnosis and evolve over the course of the illness. The medical focus has changed from intervention primarily in acute medical crises to prevention and outpatient monitoring for people with HIV disease. This article describes a structure that allows hospital social workers to intervene early, to carry out comprehensive assessments, and to continually follow a person with HIV disease throughout the course of illness. The article provides a framework of preventive psychosocial care for people with HIV disease, with particular attention to the use of a specialized assessment.