Meetings and Reports

We have held a series of meetings on the clinical management of HIV infection. We have also produces reports and books outlining the needs of accessible treatment information.

16 October 2007
This report was commissioned by HIV i-Base, an HIV-positive treatment advocacy project, to better understand the needs of HIV-positive Africans living in the UK and to evaluate our existing publications and services, and inform future strategies.

For advocates who have been involved in treatment advocacy for ten years, it is a good a time to look at how the treatment information needs of the African communities have evolved.

Use of the i-Base phoneline and information service has increased and membership of the UK-CAB advocacy training workshops roughly follows the demographics of HIV in the UK and includes 40% African members.

But the effectiveness of printed information is less clear. i-Base treatment workshops with African organisations has always highlighted face-to-face training as particularly important.

Assessing and analysing the treatment information needs of HIV positive Africans in the UK would help HIV i-Base find ways of addressing these needs in its future treatment information strategy.

2006
i-Base has worked as a treatment literacy project for over six years. Over this time we have always produced copyright-free material and encouraged other organisations to use, translate and adapt our material. Through this work, we have been very lucky to develop links to advocacy projects outside the UK.

A meeting held in Cape Town 2006, focused on raising the profile of treatment literacy. One result from the meeting is a publication “Why we must provide HIV treatment information”.

With text provided by activists from 25 countries and 50 full colour photographs by Wolfgang Tillmans, this limited edition 100-page publication is being sold by i-Base to raise funds to help support our international treatment literacy projects.
Download as a PDF File. [3.2 MB]

January 2002
This open meeting for clinicians, healthcare workers, advocates and HIV-positive people included discussions and presentations on:

• An overview of current approaches to facial atrophy in UK clinics: which procedures, if any, are available; demand for treatment, protocols for referral to private medicine.
• 24-week results from Dr Aubron-Olivier, Hôpital Pitie Salpetriere. Paris. * Current structure for funding/reimbursement. * UK study run at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
• Report on positive and negative affects on quality of life from HIV-positive people who have used this treatment.
• Current structure for funding/reimbursement.

i-Base meeting

Clinical presentation & management of side effects in HIV therapy

June 2001
Side effects associated with HIV therapy, range from short-lived gastrointestinal disturbance to long term debilitating conditions and life threatening complications. Many persons with HIV live with alarming body shape changes, chronic diarrhoea, nausea, sleep disturbance and excruciating pain, usually unnecessarily. This meeting addressed the diagnosis & management of a range of side effects and will give attendees the opportunity to ‘ask the experts’.
No PDF available

October 2001
With drug concentrations in paediatrics being so variable, and virological response being closely linked to these levels, there are enormous practical benefits to using TDM. Every HIV-positive child in Holland receives these tests as part of routine care - but despite having a world class site at the University of Liverpool, only a tiny number of children have had these tests in this country. This meeting focussed on the role and clinical utility of TDM in paediatric care in the UK.
No PFD file available

March 2001
Our first meeting on paediatric research and care. Bringing together important researchers and clinicians from the UK, Europe and the US to present their latest research and to discuss the obstacles (and strategies to overcome them) with adherence, in babyhood, childhood and adolescence. For example, great results have been seen with the use of G-tubes for children who have difficulties swallowing pills or cannot stand the taste of liquid formulations
Download report as a PFD file [864 Kb]

September 1999
Meeting to review the arguments for using TDM for antiretrovirals and at the same time look at some of the inherent problems that could potentially make TDM an exercise of limited value (3rd ATP DrFax symposium).
Download report as a PFD file. [460 Kb]