Caring for an Ill Patient Affected with HIV: Johari Window Analysis

This essay examines the critical aspects of caring for patients affected by HIV, focusing on the nurse's self-awareness and its impact on patient care. The essay delves into the conflict between a nurse's private and public values and beliefs, particularly in the context of HIV care, and how these conflicts can be reconciled through self-awareness techniques, including the Johari Window model. The analysis highlights the importance of understanding one's own biases and values to provide effective and ethical care. The essay emphasizes the need for nurses to continually interrogate their values and beliefs to improve their practice and ensure high-quality patient care, addressing the implications of a nurse's values on their practice and the quality of care provided. The essay draws on literature to support the discussion and provides insights into the ethical and practical considerations of HIV patient care.

Running head: CARING FOR AN ILL PATIENT, AFFECTED WITH HIV
Caring for an ill patient affected with HIV
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Author Note:

1CARING FOR AN ILL PATIENT, AFFECTED WITH HIV
HIV is a virus that affects the immune system of an individual and is responsible for
AIDS disease. Alteration of the immune system increases the risk of other infections.
However the modern advancements in the medical history have allowed the people affected
with the virus accessible to good healthcare and proper treatment. The reason why this blood
borne disease have been chose is because a person living with this virus, can resume their
high quality life with just proper care and self-awareness.
The dichotomy in the interpersonal relationships account for the conflict between the
private and the public opinions and beliefs. The public opinion regarding HIV AIDS include
the national efforts to prevent and treat the disease (Polonsky et al., 2015). The personal
concern regarding eradication of the virus affected disease, have increased in the recent years
as they have become aware of the causes and the consequences of the blood-borne disease.
However, there still exists a conflict within the public as well as private opinions. According
to Brody et al., (2016), thirty years after the HIV/AIDS epidemic disease, there have been
governmental rules and regulations indeed, but people still continue to express the discomfort
at the idea of interacting with the doctors and even the common unaffected people treat the
victims as minorities. On one hand they are aware of the consequences of the blood borne
disease but on the other hand, they are not comfortable working with someone who is HIV
infected. This can be reconciled using the self-awareness technique which helps in the
personal growth of the individual. For a nurse client relationship, the nurse’s performance in
the treatment of the patients, the most important therapeutic tool is self-awareness. In order to
improve the nurse’s practise, the incorporation of the Johari Window is very essential. The
four quadrants of the Johari Window of self-awareness needs to be rectified (Luft and
Ingham, 1961). The more wide the open quadrant is, the more a person will be self-aware.
The hidden quadrant must be decreased by improving the interaction among people and by
knowing to accept feedbacks. Having information about the self, people and nurses can

2CARING FOR AN ILL PATIENT, AFFECTED WITH HIV
successfully reduce the blind quadrant. And finally self-disclosure and the feedback is very
essential for a nurse to decrease the unknown quadrant and eventually develop the self-
awareness. The Johari framework can very effectively be used in the Nursing procedure and
to Psychiatry because it would help them to bring change in themselves and become more
self-aware (Rasheed, 2015).
Thus from the above discussion it can be concluded that the public self or the Arena
in the Johari Window is important for the HIV patients , as it helps them to know about
themselves and what they are dealing with. Things that the person does not know about
himself or the disease can be kept under the blind spot of the framework. The victims need to
be interactive and reveal the problems that he faces to the nurses or the doctors, and this
would help them to move out of the Façade quadrant. Finally, the unknown area, or the
unconscious self needs to be worked upon by the people who are affected with such a
disease, and they need to self-discover themselves, learning more about their own selves.

3CARING FOR AN ILL PATIENT, AFFECTED WITH HIV
References:
Brody, L.R., Jack, D.C., Bruck-Segal, D.L., Ruffing, E.G., Firpo-Perretti, Y.M., Dale, S.K.,
Weber, K.M. and Cohen, M.H., 2016. Life lessons from women with HIV: Mutuality, self-
awareness, and self-efficacy. AIDS patient care and STDs, 30(6), pp.261-273.
Luft, J. and Ingham, H., 1961. The johari window. Human relations training news, 5(1),
pp.6-7.
Polonsky, M., Azbel, L., Wickersham, J.A., Taxman, F.S., Grishaev, E., Dvoryak, S. and
Altice, F.L., 2015. Challenges to implementing opioid substitution therapy in Ukrainian
prisons: Personnel attitudes toward addiction, treatment, and people with HIV/AIDS. Drug
and alcohol dependence, 148, pp.47-55.
Rasheed, S.P., 2015. Self-Awareness as a Therapeutic Tool for Nurse/Client
Relationship. International journal of caring sciences, 8(1).