Premium
Role of the Internet in Care Initiation by People Living With HIV
Author(s) -
Perazzo Joseph,
Haas Stephen,
Webel Allison,
Voss Joachim
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
research in nursing and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1098-240X
pISSN - 0160-6891
DOI - 10.1002/nur.21769
Subject(s) - the internet , health care , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , internet privacy , medicine , psychology , internet research , nursing , family medicine , political science , world wide web , computer science , law
People frequently use the internet to obtain information, including information about health, but we lack understanding of how people living with HIV (PLHIV) use the internet in their care and treatment decisions. In this secondary analysis, interviews with 23 individuals who initiated HIV care at an urban, Midwestern medical center and mentioned internet use were analyzed using qualitative content analysis to explore how they used the internet during the process of initiating HIV care. HIV care had been initiated by this sample from less than one month to three years post‐diagnosis. Participants discussed the internet as a source of information about their diagnosis that influenced their care and treatment decisions. Five themes were predominant: (i) The internet alerted me to the possibility of HIV, (ii) the internet showed me a solution is available, (iii) the internet influenced my decisions about care, (iv) the internet empowered me to participate in my treatment decisions, and (v) the internet gave me hope for my future. The results suggest that the internet has the potential to provide information that can profoundly influence PLHIVs’ acceptance of care and treatment decisions. Clinicians face a new reality in which patients use internet resources to obtain information and shape opinions about HIV treatment and care initiation decision‐making. Guiding PLHIV in their selection of online resources is one approach to educating and empowering individuals as they cope with their diagnosis and contemplate decisions regarding HIV care and treatment. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.