Home      Login

Abstract: 

To many infectious disease physicians, there is nothing more satisfying and challenging than to care for patients with HIV/AIDS. I take care of people with HIV/AIDS in Massachusetts’ state prisons, and find the patient population there to be diverse, knowledgeable, and appreciative of the time and effort I spend in my interactions with them. In many ways, taking care of patients in a prison is easier than taking care of patients in the outside world: there are no disability forms to file, and I find very few of the patients to be drug-seeking. My patients in the prison show up to their appointments with me on time, and rarely miss a scheduled visit. The prison system in Massachusetts allows me to practice medicine in keeping with the community standard of care. All antiviral medications are available, as are viral load testing and genotype testing. In addition, each prison has a knowledgeable nurse case manager, and comprehensive records with flow sheets.

Keywords: United front, optimism, non-compliance, attention, denial, HAART, Independent Verification, Manipulative Behavior

Affiliations:  1: Tufts University School of Medicine.