Health care needs of persons with HIV/AIDS in various settings

This study describes the psychosocial and physiological health care needs of persons with HIV/AIDS in hospital, outpatient, home care, and long-term care settings. A cross-sectional descriptive design with 386 patients selected from the four settings was used to test between-setting differences on Healthcare Needs Scales. Univariate analyses of variance of scale and subscale scores and Kruskal-Wallis analyses of variance by ranks on item scores were computed. There was neither a relationship between psychosocial and physiological health care needs nor a distinctive pattern of needs across settings by HIV classification. The patients' needs varied between settings on health behaviors/social support, health management, and elimination/physical/sensory functions but were quite similar in psychosocial/financial support and neurological/digestive functions. These results question assumptions about the relationships among stage of HIV infection, level and type of health care need, and type of setting and suggest that health system resources and nursing care focus on both the psychosocial and physiological needs of persons with HIV/AIDS using individualized protocols.