Analyzing the Case Study of Arron: Living with HIV/AIDS

Running head: NURSING
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Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Introduction:
Living with a progressive illness can be extremely challenging both in terms of physical
health as well as mental wellness. This paper intends to analyze the case study of Arron who has
recently been diagnosed positive for HIV/AIDS. The client has been reported to feel unwell for
the past 3-4 months and has been recommended to commence antiviral treatment therapy. The
paper would further make use of the Corbin and Strauss Illness Trajectory Model and the socio-
ecological framework in order to devise an appropriate care plan to support the patient through
the progressive illness.
Discussion around trajectory and health need:
The trajectory model was developed by Anselm Straus and Juliet Corbin and can be
defined as a nursing model that is applied while caring for the patients suffering from chronic
and progressive diseases. The model is defined by two terms that include trajectory and chronic
illness. Trajectory in this case, has been defined as a course of any illness that extends over a
period of time and the actions undertaken by the family members and the health professionals to
manage or shape the course of the disease (Parker et al. 2014). In other words trajectory refers to
the course and differential stages of the disorder. On the other hand, chronic illness is defined as
a serious and progressive illness which could affect the physical, emotional, mental and social
wellbeing of the patient and could last a life-time. Studies suggest that there are eight stages of
the course of the disease which comprises of the initial or the pre-trajectory phase, trajectory
onset phase, the crisis phase, the acute phase, the stable phase, the unstable phase, the down ward
phase and the dying phase (Jowsey 2016; Strauss et al. 2018). On analyzing the patient’s present
condition, it can be said that the patient is at the second phase of the illness trajectory (Parker et
al. 2014; Perrett and Biley 2013). The nursing intervention that would be applied at this phase
would comprise of identification of the trajectory phase, identification of the problems and
establishing care goals, devising plans to achieve the care goals, clearly identify the barriers and
the facilitators that might hinder the accomplishment of the goals, implement appropriate
interventions and evaluate the effectiveness of the applied intervention strategies.
In this case, the patient has just been diagnosed and is at the initial phase of the disease.
The patient has been reported to experience symptoms of enlarged lymph nodes and has been

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feeling unwell for 3-4 months. Further, the patient has been recommended to start antiviral
therapy at the earliest. The care goals for the patient at this stage would be to empower and
support the patient. The interventions would comprise of imparting health literacy in relation to
HIV/AIDS and administering psychological counseling so as to support the patient
psychologically to cope with the nature of the disorder. The barriers could potentially include
social stigma related with the disorder and the facilitators could comprise of the patient’s
empowerment and strong support from friends and family to cope with the disorder. The
effectiveness of the applied interventions would be measured through pathological test reports
that would reveal the progress of the disorder.
Socio-ecological Framework:
The Social-Ecological Model can be defined as a theoretical framework that helps to
develop an understanding about the multifaceted interrelating impact of the environmental and
the personal factors that further help in identifying behaviors which impact the organizational
and the behavioral leverage-points as well as the intermediaries that impact health-promotion
within different organizations. There are 5 hierarchal-levels of the social ecological framework
which includes the individual, community, interpersonal, organizational and the policy or the
enabling environment (Raffery et al. 2015). In this case, the patient’s primary health care needs
across the five domains of the social ecological framework would be discussed.
The Person:
The theoretical domain under the individual domain comprises of the knowledge, attitude
and the behavior of the patient associated with the disorder. The demographic characteristics of
the patient are taken into consideration under this domain which comprises of elements such as
self-efficiency, development history, gender, age, religious and cultural-identity, sexual-
orientation, financial-resources, literacy, stigma, literacy and expectations. In this context, it
should be noted that the nurse would adapt a patient-centred care approach based on the specific
cultural preferences of the patient to plan the recovery process. In addition to this, the nurse
would also establish a positive therapeutic relationship with the patient and the twin sisters as
well as one or two close friends of the patient, considering that both the parents of the patient are
deceased. Further, the sisters and the close friends of the patient would be administered health