HIV/AIDS and nutrition: a bibliometric analysis

Diet and nutrition are directly involved in patient care protocols that reflect a shift in the treatment of HIV/AIDS as a chronic disease, with an emphasis on quality of life and expanded life trajectory. Research concerning HIV/AIDS and nutrition is multidisciplinary, yielding study results that appear in a wide variety of scholarly journals. The purpose of this research was to employ bibliometric techniques to evaluate the body of literature specific to HIV/AIDS and nutrition as well as to determine content overlap among major bibliographic citation databases.     

Evolution in the body of HIV nursing knowledge

The role nurses occupy in the care of the HIV/AIDS affected has evolved over time. This evolution is exhibited in the body of nursing knowledge and is recorded in the published literature. The purpose of this study was to describe landmarks in the evolution of nursing's involvement in the provision of care to HIV/AIDS patients and to examine the body of nursing knowledge relative to HIV/AIDS, employing bibliometric analytic techniques. It was expected that the literature would grow in both breadth and depth concurrent with nursing's increased role in caring for those infected, or at risk for infection, with HIV.     

Sex differences in communication and the construction of HIV/AIDS

This paper reports analyses of sex differences in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior related to HIV/AIDS and communication about HIV I'AIDS in the heterosexual college population. Men and women differed in their assessments of risk to HIV infection for various behaviors; in each case women perceived greater risk. Women were more favorable than men regarding talking about AIDS and attitudes about condom use. Men reported a greater number of sexual partners for the previous five years than did women. Men, more often than women, appear to have changed their behavior in a direction of greater risk. Only two sex differences were found for prevention‐related behaviors. First, men more often reported having purchased a condom. However, no sex differences were found for actual condom use. Second, as reported in previous studies, women were more likely to engage in AIDS‐related talk with a sexual partner. Because of their many differences, men and women need to be targeted as separate audiences for HIV/AIDS prevention. Further, because women have emerged as the most rapidly growing group at risk for HIV infection and because women appear to be more willing than men to implement HIV/AIDS prevention in their relationships, they should be considered a primary audience for HIV/AIDS‐prevention programs designed for influencing the behavior of heterosexual couples.     

An overview of 45 published database resources for complementary and alternative medicine

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has succeeded to implement itself in the academic context of universities. In order to get information on CAM, clinicians, researchers and healthcare professionals as well as the lay public are increasingly turning to online portals and databases, which disseminate relevant resources. One specific type of online information retrieval systems, namely the database, is being reviewed in this article. Question: This overview aims at systematically retrieving and describing all databases covering the field of CAM. One of the requirements for inclusion was that the database would also have to be published in a medical journal. Data sources: The databases amed , CAMbase , embase , and medline /Pub Med were searched between December 2008 and December 2009 for publications relevant to CAM databases. The authors’ specialist library was also searched for grey literature to be included. Study selection: All included databases were then visited online and information on the context, structure and volume of the database was extracted. Main results: Forty‐five databases were included in this overview. Databases covered herbal therapies (n = 11), traditional Chinese medicine (n = 9) and some dealt with a vast number of CAM modalities (n = 9), amongst others. The amount of time the databases had been in existence ranged from 4 to 53 years. Countries of origin included the USA (n = 14), UK (n = 7) and Germany (n = 6), amongst others. The main language in 42 of 45 databases was English. Conclusions: Although this overview is quite comprehensive with respect to the field of CAM, certain CAM practices such as chiropractic, massage, reflexology, meditation or yoga may not have been covered adequately. A more detailed assessment of the quality of the included databases might give additional insights into the listed resources. The creation of a personalised meta‐search engine is suggested, towards which this overview could be seen as a first step.     

Information and communication: a library’s local response to HIV/AIDS in Zambia

Objective: To document and describe the University of Zambia Medical library’s responses to the fight against HIV/AIDS in Zambia. Methods: The methodology adopted was a case study approach combined with an analysis of the literature such as annual reports and official documents. This was augmented by personal reflections of the author having worked at the Medical Library. Results: The University of Zambia Medical library has over the years instituted and implemented HIV/AIDS information provision programmes that include the provision of information in various formats ‐‐ print or electronic and, in addition, capacity building in HIV/AIDS information literacy skills. Conclusion: A library’s social responsibility calls for it to be part of national responses to crises that arise in society. As HIV/AIDS has affected every aspect of Zambian society prevention, treatment, care and support there is an understanding that the library’s role should be using the cri tical and strategic resource at its disposal – information ‐‐ as part of their contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS. In this context, libraries should source, collect, organize and disseminate information on HIV/AIDS in a way that is easily accessible to researchers, HIV/AIDS programme implementation agencies and the ordinary public.     

Meeting health information needs of people with HIV/AIDS: sources and means of collaboration

Background: Internet‐based applications, in particular those that allow communication, have great potential to meet information needs. Limited research has indicated that people with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS; PHAs) use these technologies, but it has not yet been examined how resources are used collaboratively and in conjunction with offline sources. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine in what ways PHAs collaborate to meet treatment information needs and what role Internet‐based computer‐mediated communication (CMC) played in meeting this goal. Methods: This exploratory study was implemented using surveys and focus groups with 23 participants in Toronto, Canada. The purposive sample included men and women. Results: A variety of both off‐ and online resources were used to learn about HIV/AIDS treatment information, including web‐based and print. All participants were communicating with others, primarily in person, and most desired anecdotal treatment information. However, few reported using CMC to accomplish this goal. Harris and Dewdney's Principles of Information Seeking was used to frame the findings. Conclusions: Despite technical proficiency with CMC, few participants in this study reported use of this communication tool. Information professionals need to ensure access to HIV health information including those in remote areas who have fewer resources.     

Museums of Malawi Case Study: Tackling HIV/AIDS by Creating Awareness of Rights and Cultural Practices

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has greatly impacted the lives of many Malawians. In 2007, one million people in a population of 13 million were infected with the HIV virus. There are 91,000 cases of children living with HIV and over 550,000 orphans who lost their parents to this disease (UNAIDS 2008 Report on Global AIDS Epidemic). At the Museums of Malawi, many staff have died of HIV/AIDS‐related illnesses. The gravity of this matter prompted the Museums of Malawi to join hands with other stakeholders in a concerted effort to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The Museums of Malawi has found that the most significant reasons for HIV transmission are specific cultural beliefs and practices that abuse people’s rights, and that are as dangerous as the disease itself. The museum created activities that look at these beliefs in order to achieve behavioral change among youth and adults during the program.     

HIV/AIDS Information in Public Libraries

Abstract

Despite well-publicized advances in the development of antiretroviral therapies, HIV infection remains an incurable condition. Worldwide, the disease threatens to gravely impact a wide range of developing nations, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia and South America. In the United States, the poor and particularly women of color are at great, and increasing, risk for infection. Public libraries, as trusted public institutions for the dissemination of information, can continue to play an important role in promoting public health information surrounding HIV/AIDS prevention and education. Public libraries are not immune, however, to the political and value-driven public discourse surrounding HIV infection. Through carefully identifying the issues, taking a nonjudgmental service approach, and building collaborations with community based organizations, public libraries can become common ground for providing proactive prevention-focused information services. This article examines the current state of epidemic HIV/AIDS infection, reviews the literature on public library responses, and identifies highly select consumer health and biomedical monographic, serial, audio-visual and Web-based HIV/AIDS information tools.     

The BIOSIS® perspective on AIDS research

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Malevolence,stigma, and social distance: Maximizing intergroup differences in HIV/AIDS discourse

This study examined the intergroup language used by young heterosexual Australians in conversations about HIV/AIDS and safe sex. Sixty male and 72 female heterosexuals participated in four‐person facilitated conversations (same‐sex or mixed‐sex) about HIV/AIDS and safe sex, which were recorded and transcribed. We focused on extracts concerning strangers or malevolent individuals who appear to be group members, along with extracts involving foreign national groups. Discourse analysis showed that groups at lower levels of social distance were constructed mainly in terms of individual responsibility. At moderate social distance, stereotypes were more negative, but sub‐typing was common, whereas at the highest levels, people were constructed entirely in intergroup terms. The findings of this study suggest that HTV prevention programs should make reference to all salient outgroups, so as to neutralize communicative strategies that strengthen intergroup boundaries as a means of reducing perceived personal threat of HIV infection.     

HIV/AIDS and Subaltern Autonomous Rationality: A Call to Recenter Health Communication in Marginalized Sex Worker Spaces

Sex workers in India constitute a marginalized population. They are considered at high risk of HIV/AIDS and are stigmatized for “selling sex” in a culture that generally censures sex outside marriage. HIV/AIDS initiatives targeted at this population have mostly adhered to promoting condom use, increasing awareness, and encouraging blood tests to screen for HIV/AIDS. Missing from this discourse are voices of sex workers and their autonomous consciousness. Based on an analysis of interview data from an eight-week field project, this paper seeks to centralize sex worker subaltern rationality in a call to reframe expert-led HIV/AIDS communication efforts that cater to sex worker communities.     

Insights into the diffusion of HIV/AIDS information in higher education institutions in South Africa

According to the UNAIDS [(1999). Young people and HIV/AIDS. UNAIDS Briefing Paper. Geneva: UNAIDS] report it is widely agreed that in the absence of a cure, only preventative measures brought about by education and customized information exchanges can mitigate the impacts of the disease. The purpose of the study was to review the framework, nature and scope of HIV/AIDS information communication strategies employed by higher education institutions in South Africa. Both qualitative and quantitative research design and methodologies were employed largely through survey, observation and document analysis. The findings reveal that firstly, HIV/AIDS information is provided through a variety of communication tools, channels and strategies. Secondly, in most instances, HIV/AIDS messages are not context appropriate and are unsuitable for academic constituencies most of whom are knowledgeable about the disease. Thirdly, there is a lack of synergy in dealing with HIV/AIDS in the higher education sector in South Africa. Other hidden issues involved in the communication of HIV/AIDS information have been highlighted. Lastly, an institutional framework appropriate for inter-institutional exchanges of HIV/AIDS information is suggested.     

Communication in the management of uncertainty: The case of persons living with HIV or AIDS

Communication is a means of managing uncertainty. In a state of uncertainty: (a) information seeking can reduce uncertainty by allowing for better discrimination between or among alternatives; (b) information seeking can increase uncertainty by increasing the number of alternatives, or by blurring the distinction between or among alternatives; and (c) information avoidance can maintain uncertainty. Individuals living with HIV or AIDS, like many other chronically‐ill or terminally‐ill individuals, must manage high levels of uncertainty about their illness. Participants in a focus group study of persons with HIV or AIDS reported effective uncertainty management, including managing uncertainty that was challenging, managing uncertainty that was essential for maintaining hope, learning to live with chronic uncertainty, and managing information problems. New information can serve uncertainty management even if it fails to reduce the number or ambiguity of alternatives, because new information can invite a reappraisal of uncertainty. A theory of uncertainty management based on these findings is offered.     

Foundations of Database Searching: Integrating Evidence-Based Medicine into the Medical Curriculum

Library integration into the medical school curriculum is a crucial aspect of meeting Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) Accreditation Standards and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Medical School Objectives Project (MSOP) guidelines. To accomplish this, academic health sciences libraries seek to develop evidence-based medicine (EBM) literature searching classes within the medical school curriculum. Establishing a basic understanding of the fundamental concepts behind health sciences database searching among medical students is a prerequisite for a more demanding evidence-based literature searching curriculum. The George T. Harrell Health Sciences Library, Penn State College of Medicine, sought to incorporate an evidence-based medicine literature searching structure by working within the existing problem-based learning system during the preclinical years. Students in the clinical years will participate in evidence-based assignments during their rotations. A fourth-year EBM elective will be created to reinforce and round out students' exposure to these concepts.     

“You Have to be Positive.” Social Support Processes of an Online Support Group for Men Living with HIV

Over the past decade, improved treatments have helped people with AIDS enjoy a state of restored health and greater hope for long-term survival. Because of these changes, social support is an even more important resource for those battling HIV/AIDS. One source for social support is a support group, which offers social and emotional resources to meet the needs of its members. The online support group investigated in this study serves gay men with HIV/AIDS and requires that they talk only about positive aspects of life. To understand the implications this rule has for support processes, a thematic analysis was conducted to determine how this group constructs social support. Rules and resources aimed at the group goal of positivity help develop a unique speech community. Implications for social support, support groups, and the Internet are discussed.     

整合生物医学信息,构建性病艾滋病综合信息网络数据库

作者拟利用互联网信息整合系统 ( Internet Information Integration System,3 I)从 Internet上遴选、下载、收集各种有价值的性病艾滋病信息 ,经过自动分类、过滤、排重和知识网络构建等智能化的处理整合后 ,建立性病艾滋病综合信息资源网络数据库并为用户提供检索服务 ,也可以个性化的形式提供给用户。     

Assessment Planning for Distance Education Library Services: Strategic Roadmaps for Determining and Reporting Organizational Performance and Value

ABSTRACT

Through a review of the literature, the author sought to identify what assessment planning practices exist in libraries, how the assessment planning process works in libraries, and what components constitute a library assessment plan. The findings suggest that, while libraries determine and report a great many aspects of organizational performance, general assessment planning (which encompasses total organizational impact and value) is not frequently used or integrated into the library's comprehensive strategic planning process, and it does not always effectively cover the scope of the assessment activities and information needed by organizational leaders and administrators to develop effective strategic plans and decisions. This lack of integration creates disconnects between the library's ability to determine and report organizational value and the library's need to provide accountability evidence to stakeholders and use the performance measurement results effectively in executing strategic planning and decision making. Using the findings of the review, the author proposes an alternative set of assessment planning components and focus areas.