The Nursing Education Partnership Initiative (NEPI): innovations in nursing and midwifery education.

The nursing and midwifery workforce is key to improving the performance of the health system overall. Health workforce shortages are significantly influenced by the productive capacity of health professions education institutions. Long-standing underinvestment in preservice nursing and midwifery education severely limits the capacity of institutions to educate nurses and midwives in sufficient numbers, and with the necessary clinical skills, for current and anticipated population health needs.

Essential nursing competencies related to HIV and AIDS: Executive summary.

With nearly 33 million global citizens living with HIV or AIDS, the need for a highly qualified, competent nursing workforce is critical. With the recent increase in global funding to expand access to antiretroviral therapy, there have been considerable efforts to improve the capacity of nurses to initiate and maintain antiretroviral therapy while evaluating its effectiveness, monitoring for side effects, reducing the incidence of drug-drug interactions (including drug interactions related to therapies provided by traditional healers), promoting adherence to therapies, and providing management of symptoms. Therefore, using a participatory action approach, nursing leaders from six sub-Saharan African countries collaborated to develop the essential nursing competencies related to HIV and AIDS.

Essential nursing competencies related to HIV and AIDS.

With nearly 33 million global citizens living with HIV or AIDS, the need for a highly qualified, competent nursing workforce is critical. With the recent increase in global funding to expand access to antiretroviral therapy, there have been considerable efforts to improve the capacity of nurses to initiate and maintain antiretroviral therapy while evaluating its effectiveness, monitoring for side effects, reducing the incidence of drug-drug interactions (including drug interactions related to therapies provided by traditional healers), promoting adherence to therapies, and providing management of symptoms. Therefore, using a participatory action approach, nursing leaders from six sub-Saharan African countries collaborated to develop the essential nursing competencies related to HIV and AIDS.

The Care System Assessment Project: values-based health care planning and delivery.

This is a commentary on the Care System Assessment (CSA) Project, utilizing a values-based health care framework to review the process undertaken by the three participating Ryan White CARE Act grantee sites. The CSA Project participants' dedication to the well-being of their communities reinforced the inclusion, active involvement, and participation of all stakeholders. That key community members had previously chosen not to participate in planning efforts or seek care because of stigma and fear in new immigrant populations was noted by all three sites as a major issue to address in their future planning.

Quality of life in the HIV-positive patient: implications and consequences.

Many individuals newly infected with HIV struggle with psychosocial influences, such as poverty, stigma, depression, substance abuse, domestic violence, and/or cultural beliefs, which can affect their quality of life (QoL), willingness to seek medical care, and motivation to adhere to therapy, ultimately influencing health outcomes. The Health Resources and Services Administration established the Ryan White Care Act (RWCA) to provide health care to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH). Part F of the RWCA, the Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Program, focuses on identifying issues affecting care for PLWH.