There have been many publications, including this one that has focused on the science and the improvements in the care and treatment of HIV. Rarely, however, is there any mention of nurses. We must continue to remember that it is the nurses who are the study coordinators. These are the individuals that collect the data, insure its accuracy and keep patients enrolled in the studies. We also need to remember that it is the nurses who have looked at systems of care in developing a program focused on the elimination of HIV. Insuring that women get the care that they need to have a healthy baby and have a healthy life themselves. It is the nurses who are in the clinics, educating the clients, providing much-needed support for physicians and other healthcare providers to do good work.

However, we rarely see nurses mentioned or that teams of researchers include nurses in the study design, the work of the study or the publication of the paper. While it is difficult to discern the background of authors, it can be assumed that for many journals what is published is by physicians. Some may argue that the nurses don’t have the skills. Many countries have robust research courses that all students must take. Writing is encouraged throughout the curriculum.

Gender, racial and economic disparities are often a cause but rarely acknowledge. To remedy this, authors, researchers, and scientists should take leadership and outreach to their nursing colleagues and bring them on board. Develop a collaborative milieu where care and research coexist. Break out of comfort zones and look creatively and patiently at a problem or a challenge. This virus has long stymied humanity on how best to approach it. Including the voice of nursing in our work will build a strong path to its elimination.

Download Provisional PDF Here

 

Article Information

Article Type: Letter to Editor

Citation: Willard S (2017) Towards Elimination. J HIV AIDS 3(3): doi http://dx.doi.org/10.16966/2380- 5536.145

Copyright: © 2017 Willard S. This is an openaccess article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Publication history: 

Received date: 30 Oct 2017

Accepted date: 30 Oct 2017

Published date: 31 Oct 2017