Guidelines

Elizabeth Crock: HIV Nurse Practitioner, Bolton Clarke HIV Program/Homeless Persons Program, Melbourne  Sandra Gregson:  CNC Torres Sexual Health/ Men’s and Women’s Health   Acknowledgments to:  Yoko Mills, Chenoa Wapau, Marion Assan, Ivy Kaidai Torres Sexual Health/ Men’s and Women’s Health  Oscar Morata Ramirez: Royal District Nursing Service, Melbourne (first edition)  Shelley Williams: Victorian Aboriginal Health Service (first edition)  …

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An asylum seeker is a person who has fled their own country, applied for protection status, and is awaiting a decision on their refugee application (14).  Depending on how they arrived in Australia, their date of arrival and their stage in the asylum claim process, asylum seekers may reside in immigration detention onshore or offshore, …

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As for members of other key populations, trust is important to engagement in health care for refugees and asylum seekers, migrants, and international students.  Members of these groups may mistrust health professionals because, in their country of origin, some health professionals have been involved in the administration of torture or may use instruments that remind …

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Refugees and asylum seekers may have genuine fears of sharing their health information, especially where HIV is highly stigmatised in their country of origin, and about potential breaches of confidentiality.  To gain trust and establish a relationship, it can be useful to provide reassurance about Australian nurses’ and midwives’ legal and ethical duties and responsibility …

Privacy and confidentiality Read More »

In Australia, sexual contact between men continues to be the most common mode of HIV transmission. In 2021, 68% of the total new HIV infections were among men who have sex with men (MSM) and 90% of all diagnoses were in men (36,37).   It is essential for the MSM population to access care and prevention …

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People who inject substances (PWIS), those who have done so in the past, or are perceived to inject, and are living with HIV experience severe stigmatisation and discrimination (28).  Despite Australia’s proactive stance in developing and implementing harm reduction policies (41), evidence suggests that people who inject drugs still experience reduced access to health care, …

People who inject substances Read More »

Nurses can play an important role in helping people with HIV who inject substances engage in health care. Interventions include:  Establishing trust through non-judgmental approaches, non-stigmatising language, and practices  Supporting and educating them in harm reduction (45, 46) i.e. safe injecting techniques, access to clean injecting equipment and safe disposal of injecting equipment. This can …

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Although women make up a small proportion of people with HIV in Australia, they suffer disproportionate levels of blame, ostracism, and stigmatisation, with assumptions being made about their sexual or drug-using behaviour (51, 52). In fact, most women with HIV have contracted HIV from a regular sexual partner (53).   An HIV diagnosis can raise complicated …

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Homelessness can be defined as:  Primary homelessness – people without conventional accommodation, sleeping rough or in improvised dwellings.  Secondary homelessness – people frequently moving from one temporary shelter to another.  Tertiary homelessness – those staying in substandard accommodation (caravan parks, boarding houses) (58).  Internationally and within Australia, there are high rates of homelessness among people …

People experiencing homelessness Read More »