Integrating HIV prevention with care: Behavioural interventions in the clinical setting

Publication Summary

The focus of this paper is to outline the evidence for brief behavioural interventions that health care providers can implement in a clinical setting to facilitate changes in knowledge, attitudes and behaviours associated with increased risk of HIV transmission.

Highlights:

• Even though clients may not immediately change their behaviour, receiving prevention messages from their health care providers increases their receptiveness to subsequent prevention messages.

• Prevention messages framed in terms of the negative consequences of unprotected sex and based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioural skills model of prevention results in a decrease in unprotected sex.

• PHA should be encouraged to use condoms during sex, regardless of the HIV status of their partner.