Praktisk Medicin launches knowledge test in HIV

HIV-infected people are tested too late

Surprisingly many HIV-infected people in Sweden are not tested in time. Late diagnosis means greater suffering for the individual, increased risk of the infection being passed on to others as well as greater societal costs. To raise awareness and the level of knowledge in primary care, there is now a new education on PraktiskMedicin.se in HIV.

Every year, 400-500 new HIV-infected people are reported to the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control and the number is relatively constant. More than half are diagnosed only when the immune system has been severely weakened. Through the newly launched PM Academy, doctors can test their knowledge in various disease areas and the latest education is in HIV. These are short interactive trainings that can be carried out digitally on PraktiskMedicin.se and in paper format at the workplace.

– We see that several individuals have had contact with healthcare for HIV-associated symptoms, sometimes long before diagnosis, without having been diagnosed correctly, says Johanna Brännström, chief physician in infectious diseases at Karolinska University Hospital. We also meet patients who have had their own suspicions of HIV infection, but who have not dared to ask for a test. Many people living with HIV also describe how they are often treated with ignorance, prejudice and distancing. General practitioners and others who work in primary care have an important role to play here. Through increased knowledge and testing as well as a professional approach, they can contribute to improved prognosis for individuals, reduction of stigma and reduced spread of HIV in Sweden.

The earlier the HIV infection is detected, the faster access to effective treatment and the better the prognosis. It is important that the doctor who conveys a positive HIV message also conveys that HIV in Sweden today is a treatable infection, which does not have to mean that you are limited in your everyday life.

The training is produced by Praktisk Medicin, which is owned by Add Health Media AB, and has received independent financial support from GSK. See all educations at www.academy.praktiskmedicin.se
Photo: Johanna Brännström

References:

Folkhalsomyndigheten.se

LIFe-time.se

For more information contact:

Pernilla Bloom, Editor-in-Chief of Praktisk Medicin, [email protected] , 0733-648 497

About Praktisk Medicin

In 1976, the general practitioner Bertil Flöistrup created the book PM Praktisk Medicin. In recent years, general practitioners Mikael Sahlqvist, Lars-Olof Medin and Mats Elm have taken over and updated and built on both the book and started the website PraktiskMedicin.se. Another 80 or so specialists have helped update the content annually, for the past 40 years.

• Decision basis for over 1,000 diagnoses
• PraktiskMedicin.se has over 250,000 visits per month

From 2017, Add Health Media (AHM), a strong player in health and medicine, has taken over the baton to continue to develop and update Praktisk Medicin. AHM also runs DOKTORN with one of the Nordic region’s most visited websites for the general public and patients, DOKTORN.com, the magazine DOKTORN, waiting room TV and a brochure stand for patients in the care waiting room.