Effect of Health, Medical, and Social Care on Quality of Life in a Group of HIV Positive Patients in Mazandaran Province, Iran

Background and purpose: AIDS, can cause psychological and social problems in patients and affects their quality of life. Therefore, infected people need more care. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of different care methods in quality of life of HIV+ patients. Materials and methods: HIV-positive patients in Mazandaran were divided into two groups of intervention (n=34) and control (n=17). Patients in intervention group received medical and social care for one year. Quality of life was assessed in both groups before and after the intervention using WHOQOL-Brief and a researcher-made questionnaire. Results: The study population included 49 patients including 56.67% males and 43.33% females. Before the intervention there was no significant difference in quality of life between the two groups. But after the intervention, satisfaction from personal relationships decreased significantly while social-occupational worries and concerns about the disease showed significant increase in intervention group. Compared to the control group, after one year, satisfaction from current treatment (P=0.02), concerns about the disease (P=0.0009), and quality of social life (P=0.02), showed significant increases in the intervention group.  Conclusion: The participants in this study had low levels of quality of life and physical and mental health care could be of great benefit in improving quality of life of HIV+ patients. In designing care protocols for these patients, all aspects of life should be considered.