Moving beyond fear - Lessons learned through a longitudinal review of the literature regarding health care providers and the care of people with HIV/AIDS

This article examines the literature regarding the health care provider/AID S patient relationship for a 14 year period from 1984 through 1998. For eac h of the four time periods (1984-1989, 1990-1992, 1993-1995, 1996-1998), we present the general themes and concerns of the literature at that time. We begin the review of each time period with a depiction of what was happenin g in biomedical circles and in the broader society around HIV/AIDS. To prov ide a closer look at the setting for the work completed within each time pe riod, we draw on research interviews conducted by the first author with nur ses involved in AIDS care since the early days of the epidemic. Nurses' ret rospective comments on what it was like to do the work at various times rev eal the local reality and provide an important rationale for the work that we review. Each time period closes with a discussion of the lessons learned and suggestions of new possibilities fur future efforts to enhance the wel l-being of both health care providers and patients with HIV/AIDS.