WHOSE HEALTH IS IT - VIEWS ABOUT DECISION-MAKING AND INFORMATION-SEEKING FROM PEOPLE WITH HIV-INFECTION AND THEIR PROFESSIONAL CARERS

The views of people with HIV and their professional carers about patie nts' views on involvement in decision-making and information-seeking w ere studied, using a standardized self-report instrument. Patients and staff reported high levels of desire for patients' involvement in the ir care, but there were important differences between groups. Staff ha d higher preference for patients' involvement in decision-making than the patients themselves, while the opposite was the case for informati on-seeking. There were differences between professional groups and sym ptomatic and asymptomatic patients, social workers generally reporting higher preference for patients' autonomy, while doctors reported lowe r levels. Symptomatic patients tended to have lower preference for aut onomy than asymptomatic ones. The significance and practical implicati ons of the findings are discussed.