A nurse is caring for a client who is HIV positive. Which of the ...

[asan beg]

A nurse is caring for a client who is HIV positive. Which of the following roles of the nurse would be the most important for the nurse to implement?
 
  a. Advocate, lobbying for AIDS research
  b. Counselor, discussing implications of fu-ture sexual activity
  c. Role model, providing supportive care
  d. Policy maker, addressing laws governing privacy rights of HIV-positive persons

Question 2

A nurse is working in a public health center. A patient who has been newly diagnosed as HIV positive comes for counseling. By law, which of the following actions must be taken by the nurse?
 
  a. Give antiviral medications to the patient
  b. Ask the person to name all of his or her sexual contacts
  c. Refer the patient to the social worker as someone possibly needing case manage-ment
  d. Report the HIV-infected person to the state health department

[T4T]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: C
The priority role of the nurse should be role model, as nurses must be role models because many HIV-positive patients are stigmatized. The need to be an advocate and policy maker does not address the individual needs of the client. The nurse is able to counsel the client while providing supportive care.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: D
It is mandatory to report HIV cases by name in all states, although not all states require viral load and CD4 counts. There are not laws in place that mandate administration of medications, naming of sexual contacts, or referral to case management.