Care partners for persons with AIDS: Implications for health communication

Abstract

Societal factors are now converging that signal a need for changes in the way health care is delivered and in the way health care delivery is investigated. It was once adequate to understand health care interaction through an analysis of the physician‐patient relationship. However, increased longevities and the increased prevalence of chronic disease are leading to a burgeoning of home‐ and community‐based care options. This paper explores some of the dynamics of home care by exploring the role of “care partner”; (CP). A CP is an individual who works with a chronically ill or elderly patient in managing his or her illness situation. This grounded theory investigation considered care partner involvement and communication for 23 CPs of individuals with AIDS or HIV infection. Intensive interviews indicated that CPs were involved in a wide range of illness management issues and that the care partnering relationship was a complex one in which involvement options were negotiated over time. Communication between care partners and health care professionals was also explored. Care partners were often frustrated with this interaction—physicians were often hard to connect with, and nurses were often ill‐informed. Implications of care partnering for health communication are considered both in terms of theoretical advances and applications to health provision systems.