Drug use and HIV: healthcare provider perspectives

Attitudes about drug use, including nicotine and alcohol, shape the caregiving potential of the nurse/client relationship. Sometimes these attitudes enhance care provision; often the attitudes close doors to ways of working together. The author presents an overview of drug use, including healthcare providers' perspectives of the problem. Areas of positive interaction that can benefit patients and family are highlighted, and content essential to the client's overall wellbeing is presented for incorporation into nursing approaches.