Dear Debbie
Awareness Information Decisions Solutions
By, Debbie Johnson
Here at Women
Alive we understand
that communication is important!
And that you as an HIV-infected
woman are important! And foremost,
that your questions deserve an answer
and not just any answer, but the one
that you can understand and one in
which you are satisfied. We are piloting
a new concept in the HIV arena. A
column that will provide you with a
safe, confidential forum to ask questions
that you feel are important and
answers that you can understand.
The health-care provider-patient
relationship is an important relationship
for individuals infected with HIV.
It is a place where communication
should be open, non-threatening and
respectful. Your appointment time
should provide a supportive environment
to ask questions, get answers and
make decisions about your disease and
its management. However, many
times patients feel intimidated, fearful,
judged and powerless, and leave
their appointments unsatisfied with
unanswered questions. Many
healthcare providers, when faced
with a patient's difficult diagnosis,
such as HIV infection, close down
their communications (not telling
you everything about your disease or
treatment choices or making decisions
for you); thus closing off opportunities
for shared decision-making. Appropriate
professional attitudes and
We
hope that the development of this column will serve as
a starting place in feeling that someone is listening
and will help you to find the answers that you need to
become empowered.
behaviors have
come under increasing
scrutiny in the United States, and
current medical schools are revising
their curricula to include encouragement
in developing desireable attitudes.
Current literature supports that
effective communication does have an
impact on outcomes. Which means if
you don't understand, for example, the
omportance of taking your medications,
you may miss a few doses and
then your viarl load creeps up and
pretty soon your medicine doesn't
work anymore (this is a negative outcome).
but perhaps if you felt comfortable
asking the question, "what happens
if I don't take my medication correctly?"
and recieved an answer that
you felt good about, you might never
miss a dose and your viral load would
stay undetectable (this is a positive
outcome). So, through advocacy (asking
the question) and education (understanding
the answer) comes empowerment (becoming
an active participant in your health care); and
through empowerment you begin to take an active
part in your medical plan.
Sometimes that active part includes
not doing what your medical professional
thinks is best because you know
it is not what is necessarily best for you.
But, hey! You have made the decision
that is right for you and understand
what may or may not happen
(the outcome).
Here at Women Alive, we understand
the difficulty of getting your
questions answered, of problem solving
and what it takes to learn to be an
advocate. We hope that the development
of this column will serve as a
starting place in feeling that someone
is listening and will ehlp you to find
the answers that you need to become
empowered. Every questions is important
and we will try to select the questions
that appear to be the most important
and beneficial for everyone. If we
cannot answer your question in our
column, we will try to send you referrals
that may point you in the right
direction or you can always talk to our
Treatment Advocates or our Peer-to-
Peer Counselors.
If you have a question or concern that you would like
to share with Debbie, print the following form, fill it
out, and send it in to:
Dear Debbie
Women Alive Coalition
1566 S. Burnside Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
Questions and concerns will also be accepted electronically
at
DearDebbie@women-alive.org.
Also, feel free to stop by the agency where you can put
your questions in the drop box located
in the common room area of Women Alive. We look forward
to hearing from you, and remember, every question is important!
Question
or Concern
1. If you want
a direct response to your question, please include your
name and address.
2. Confidentiality, your name or any other information
that you may include on this form, will
NOT be released within the column or to any individual.
It will remain confidential.
3. Once Women Alive recieves your question, it will become
the property of Women Alive and
will not be returned to you.
4. The response to your concerns may not be directed to
you individually, if many other women
express the same concerns. It may be a generic (addressed
to everyone) response.
5. Please keep your question short and clear. Please write
clearly.
6. Remember, all questions are important and if you thought
of it, so has many others.
Name:_______________________________
CD4count:____________________________
HIV RNA: ____________________________
Address:
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
Age:_________________________________ Medications:__________________________
Mail to :Dear
Debbie
Women Alive Coalition
1566 S. Burnside Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
You
are important! Your questions desserve an answer!
Through education, empowerment grows!
