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A nationwide survey of HIV-infected patients and physicians has found that the two groups often hold divergent views on HIV care. The 13-city survey of 152 physicians and 399 patients, conducted by the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care, yielded a trove of interesting results.

For instance, physicians treating HIV- infected patients reported a much higher degree of optimism about their patients' long-term health: 72% of physicians said they expected their patients to live a normal life span, compared to 59% of HIV-infected patients who felt the same way. The survey also found that, although the majority of patients felt they had an "equal partnership" with their physicians when it came to making HIV-treatment decisions, less than half of physicians shared the sentiment; many said that the relationship was not equal, and that it was the physician, not the patient, who had the greater decision-making power.

The survey also revealed a huge perception gap in patients' level of clinical understanding: Ninety-five percent of physicians said that at least half of their HIV-infected patients often fail to understand what they are told about HIV and HIV treatment; 66% of patients, however, reported that they almost always understood what their doctors told them, signaling possible failures in communication between providers and patients.

Editor's Note: from www.thebodypro.com