HIV Treatment and Management

The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS has developed this online course for all health care professionals in the province of BC to support their continuing medical education needs. This course is designed to allow learners to access up-to-date knowledge on the treatment and management of people living with HIV. The course offers information applicable to clinical practice and quality patient care. Although most of the course information is consistent with the latest version of the BC-CfE guidelines (last revised in 2019), in some cases the authors may use information from other sources.

Please note that this course is tailored to health care providers that want to increase their knowledge on the treatment and management of people living with HIV. If you find that the course contents are too advanced for you at this time, please contact education@cfenet.ubc.ca and we will be happy to provide you with alternative learning materials.

For health care professionals who are taking this course as a pre-requisite for the BC-CfE Intensive Preceptorship Training Program, it is required that you complete this course prior to the clinical placements.

The course is free of charge and an open enrolment course, which allows participants to register at any time during the year.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe issues related to HIV testing and epidemiology in BC
• Indicate the necessary clinical evaluation, laboratory testing and monitoring for individuals with an HIV diagnosis
• Discuss up-to-date treatment and management options currently available to people living with HIV in BC
• Review potential adverse drug reactions, drug to drug interactions and common co-morbidities
• Assess patients requiring antiretroviral therapy changes and their potential new treatments
• Review recommendations for the prevention, assessment and treatment of opportunistic infections
• Identify some of the main issues affecting women living with HIV
• Recognize the importance of an interdisciplinary model of care for HIV-positive patients

Structure and Format

• • The course content is divided into 12 learning modules including a module with case discussions and 2 appendices
  • Each module covers a specific learning topic
  • The required course content (readings) for each topic consists of one PowerPoint presentation with explanatory notes
  • 10 of the learning modules are followed by short quizzes
  • Supporting content includes a glossary of abbreviations, a list of clinical resources, and a video on Treatment as Prevention

• The course will take you approximately 12 hours to complete, depending on your previous HIV-related knowledge.

Course Assessments & Quizzes

In order to receive a certificate of completion, all 10 quizzes are required to be completed, with a minimum grade of 70% per quiz. Each quiz consists of multiple-choice questions that are related to the content of the learning module. The course assessments have been designed so that participants can review the course material during the quiz if necessary.

For those modules without quizzes, you must remember to click on the box that states, “Click here to mark this module as Complete” otherwise you will not be able to receive your certificate. This button can be found underneath the module slides on the right-hand side (including the sections containing the Tasp© video and the Appendices).

Certificate of Completion

Upon completion of all the learning modules and quizzes a button labelled “Print Certificate” will appear. Once this button is clicked you will be redirected to a mandatory feedback form after which you will be able to print your certificate. You are not required to complete the supporting material to obtain the Certificate of Completion (e.g. Treatment as Prevention video), but you need to complete all of the learning modules even those that have no quizzes (module 11 and 12).

• Module 1: Epidemiology of HIV and approaches to HIV testing in British Columbia (Dr. David Moore)
• Module 2: Initial Assessment of People Living with HIV (Drs. Rolando Barrios and Silvia Guillemi)
• Module 3: Starting Antiretroviral Therapy (Dr. Marianne Harris)
• Module 4: Monitoring Antiretroviral Therapy (Dr. Junine Toy)
• Module 5: Antiretroviral Adverse Drug Reactions and Common Comorbidities in HIV (Dr. Marianne Harris)
• Module 6: Management of Treatment Experienced Patients:
  When and Why to Switch in the Context of Treatment Success (Dr. Silvia Guillemi)
• Module 7: Management of Treatment Experienced Patients:
  When and Why to Change in the Context of Treatment Failure (Dr. Silvia Guillemi)
• Module 8: Interprofessional Practice in HIV (Elizabeth Kirkpatrick, Wayne Campbell, and Dr. Cathy Puskas)
• Module 9: Prevention and Assessment of Opportunistic Infections in HIV/AIDS (Dr. Peter Phillips)
• Module 10: Women and HIV (Drs. Mary Kestler and Neora Pick)
• Module 11: Accessing HIV Treatment in BC (Linda Akagi)
• Module 12: Case Presentations (Dr. Silvia Guillemi)
• Supplementary video: TasP and the Present State of HIV Infection in BC (Dr. Julio Montaner)
• Appendices
  
  • Appendix I – Interpretation of HIV-RNA Resistance (Dr. Silvia Guillemi)
  • Appendix II – Antiretroviral Drugs by Classes and Adverse Drug Reactions
• Resources
• Glossary

Family Physicians can obtain 12 Mainpro+ Certified Credits:
This online 1 credit-per-hour Self-Learning program has been certified by the College of Family Physicians of Canada for up to 12 Mainpro+ credits. Family physicians can obtain those credits upon completion of all modules (except the appendices) and quizzes with a minimum grade of 70%.

Course Collaborators and Acknowledgements

• Positive Living Society of BC
• BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre and Oak Tree Clinic
• BC-CfE Drug Treatment Program
• Fernando Prado and BC-CfE Communications
• Chanson Brumme and the BC-CfE Laboratory Program
• BC-CfE Clinical Education and Training Program:
  
  • Dr. Silvia Guillemi, Director
  • Dr. Cathy Puskas, Clinical Educator
  • Tatiana Parrott, Program Coordinator
  • Yasmin Gill, Program Coordinator
  • Vincent Si, Administrative Assistant
• HIV Treatment and Management Development Committee:
  
  • Dr. Silvia Guillemi
  • Dr. Marianne Harris
  • Dr. Rolando Barrios
  • Dr. Junine Toy
  • Dr. Cathy Puskas