Evaluation of a Nurse-Initiated Routine HIV Testing Pilot on a Medical-Surgical Unit.

National guidelines recommending a shift from risk-based to routine HIV testing for persons ages 13-64 are described. The role of nurses, particularly medical-surgical nurses, in increasing the number of people screened is discussed.

Buprenorphine for human immunodeficiency virus/hepatitis C virus-coinfected patients: does it serve as a bridge to hepatitis C virus therapy?

Objectives: Buprenorphine is associated with enhanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment outcomes including increased antiretroviral therapy initiation rates, adherence, and CD4 cell counts among HIV-infected opioid-dependent individuals. Buprenorphine facilitates hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment in opioid-dependent patients with HCV monoinfection. Less is known about buprenorphine's role in HIV/HCV coinfection.

The use of community-based modified directly observed therapy for the treatment of HIV-infected persons.

Directly observed therapy, which has been successful in the treatment of tuberculosis, is being adapted for the treatment of HIV to decrease long-term morbidity and mortality. We describe the experiences of 69 HIV-infected individuals who were enrolled in a community-based modified directly observed therapy (MDOT) program. Participants were referred by their primary care physicians based on nonadherence to antiretroviral therapy, and/or active substance use.