2. Person-centred care
‘Person-centred care’ is good-quality care that focuses on your needs as an individual. Your care should not only be about your healthcare needs, it should also be about everything that is important to you, including your family and social situation. You should be involved in making decisions about your care and not just receive healthcare services decided by your doctors. Healthcare professionals should talk with you about your life. You should feel able to talk about your health, your symptoms and your worries. You should feel able to ask questions about these things.
Healthcare professionals should help you manage all aspects of your quality of life. This could include, if needed, managing pain, emotional and mental health.
2d. Wellbeing
Wellbeing is about your quality of life. It is about being part of society, being treated with dignity, having better physical and mental health, and being able to cope with life’s problems. Healthcare professionals can promote wellbeing by helping you access services for your individual needs. This might include things such as homelessness or housing issues, immigration problems, access to education or employment, intimate partner or gender-based violence, substance and alcohol misuse, stigma and social exclusion.
Key messages
Your overall wellbeing, not just your HIV treatment, should be taken into account by everyone providing care for you.