Infect Chemother.
2023 Jun;55(2):167-178. 10.3947/ic.2023.0024.
The Story and Implications of the Korean Health Care Facility Counseling Project on People Living with HIV
- Affiliations
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- 1Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
- 2Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea
- 3Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul, Korea
- 4Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Ansan Hospital, Ansan, Korea
- KMID: 2544435
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2023.0024
Abstract
- In 2005, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) launched “Health Care Facility Counseling Project on People Living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)” funded by the private-subsidy project for the prevention of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and sexually transmitted diseases to provide people living with HIV (PLWH) psychological support and counsel them about the disease and antiretroviral therapy (ART). Currently, 38 counseling nurse specialists work at 28 healthcare facilities for patient care. Of all PLWH in Korea, 71.9% received benefits from the Counseling Project. Adherence to ART medication (>95.0%), level of depression or anxiety, counseling coverage, and viral load status were monitored as common project indicators. Various specialized programs have been implemented in diverse facilities. This project has played a pivotal role in HIV care continuum and viral suppression policies, resulting in 95.9% of PLWH maintaining undetectable status (<40 copies/ml) in 2021. In this review, we present the chronology and fulfillment of this project, which will be an essential step for future planning in the context of aging and the chronic comorbid nature of HIV/AIDS.
