Other healthcare team members

Your healthcare team doesn’t end with your primary healthcare provider. Through your clinic, your local HIV organization, or by referral from your healthcare provider, you may also have access to nurses, as well as other professionals, such as social workers, therapists and peer counsellors. These people all have valuable skills to contribute to your care and can often give advice on practical matters, like paying for drugs or treatment adherence. What’s more, they may have more time to talk to you. For example, your nurse may be able to answer a question when your doctor is busy.

You will also be seeing a pharmacist whenever you go to pick up your medications. Because pharmacists are generally more readily available than primary healthcare providers, many people with HIV rely on their pharmacists for information about their treatment. Pharmacists can help you keep track of your drugs so that you can avoid allergies or drug interactions. To avoid drug interactions, it’s best to get all of your medications from one drugstore, especially if you are filling prescriptions from more than one healthcare provider. Pharmacists can also provide useful suggestions for treatment adherence and on drug payment plans.