Conclusion and Final Thoughts on Optimizing Outcomes in HIV Treatment

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The HCPLive Peer Exchange: Optimizing Outcomes in HIV Treatment features insight and opinion on the latest developments in HIV research, diagnosis, and management from leading physician specialists.

This Peer Exchange is moderated by Paul Doghramji, MD, who is a family physician at Collegeville Family Practice in Collegeville, PA, and Medical Director of health services at Ursinus College, also in Collegeville, PA.

The panelists are:

• Alfred A. DeLuca, MD, Infectious Disease Specialist at CentraState Healthcare System in Manalapan, NJ
• Ian Frank, MD, Director of Anti-Retroviral Clinical Research and Director of Clinical Core at Penn Center for AIDS Research, and Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA
• Paul Sax, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Clinical Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases and the HIV Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston, MA

Here, the panelists offer their final take-home points for viewers.

“The patients who get into care and stay in care for HIV can all be successfully treated,” says Sax, adding that, “Getting patients linked to care should be a key driver of our healthcare system.”

For DeLuca, HIV care is extremely gratifying, because, “In this condition, they’re genuinely happy and you’re happy for them, and to be part of that is irreplaceable.”

To these points, Frank adds, “We shouldn’t become complacent. Despite the advantages, there are still about 40,000 people becoming infected with HIV annually in this country. And I would encourage providers to become a little bit more comfortable talking about sex with their patients to really understand the sexual lives that people live and to be able to counsel them appropriately.”