Thus, there is hope ...

So there is hope for the prolongation of life even in patients with advanced stage disease. When reporting on the patient revealed he was HIV-infection before a doctor has a difficult task: to remain honest and at the same time not depriving patients of hope. The tone of the doctor should be as optimistic, but not at the expense of withholding evidence. Practical support in the first place the physician should pay attention to the practical needs of the patient. Upon learning of his diagnosis, the patient often suffers from severe emotional stress. He needs to know where to turn for help. Often this help is simply to talk to someone about aspects of their diagnosis. HIV often infects people who have few close friends and family members. Therefore, many HIV-infected patients administered first aid to provide such volunteers, nonprofessional organization for counseling, which give a person the opportunity to "speak out" about his diagnosis in an individual or group conversation. This helps many, although such assistance is not suitable for all newly diagnosed patients. Doctor should make sure to refer a patient to where assistance will be provided accordingly. In addition, during this difficult period greatly assist patients can nurses and social workers. HIV-infected patients may also need shelter, emergency financial assistance or food. As in the case of consultation, the existing social organization can meet these needs, and again at the doctor's responsibility to refer patients to the appropriate agency. Probably the most difficult questions, disturbing newly diagnosed patients are those that relate to death. When will I die? How will this happen? Will I still suffer from pain? I'll die alone? To some extent, the physician should have foreseen this and elaborate on these often look look. Doctor should not discuss the time of death until the moment when it will be inevitable, but it should reassure the patient that he will receive all the necessary pain medication, and when the time of death, next to him will be his family members, friends or medical personnel. Such a discussion should be conducted calmly, without haste, in disposing to this quiet setting. It would be wrong to discuss these issues with all patients on the day when they learn about their diagnosis, but also affect their need - in advance rather than in the last days of life. Responding to questions about death, the physician should determine a patient's wishes regarding medical tactics in extreme situations, for example, in the case of respiratory failure if the patient wishes to mechanical ventilation? These conversations may seem abstract to the relatively healthy outpatients, and their decisions may later change, but it's very important that the patient thought about these questions in advance, especially given the frequency of mental disorders in the last days of life in patients with HIV infection.