HIV and Occupational Therapy

Worldwide the published information relating to Occupational Therapy is lacking, despite their being in 2005 over 50 million HIV+ people worldwide, including an estimated 63 000 in the UK.

Welcome to the website of the UK College of Occupational Therapy's HIV, Oncology and Palliative Care Education's HIV subgroup. We aim to help provide some basic information on Occupational Therapy for people living with HIV in the UK.

HOPE HIV subgroup

The HIV subgroup operates under the umbrella of the COT's HOPE Special Interest Group. We have a core group of therapists based in London and throughout the UK, and meet approximately every six weeks or so. Some of our activities include study days and representation of HIV issues at a national level within the Occupational Therapy community. We hope to be a resource for practitioners and students in the UK who are working or would like to work with a positive population. Details of our meetings are here or refer to the contact information below.

Following our first joint meeting with the HIV Physiotherapy Special Interest Group in February 2005, we have decided to have every other meeting jointly with this group, and to introduce a rolling programme of education / teaching / information sharing! Please see our planned meeting schedule for 2005 here!

About this website

The group is frequently contacted by therapists and students who either are working with patients / service users who are HIV+, or are interested in doing so. We have put this website together in order to provide some basic information about practicing with this population, given the lack of published information. The focus of the website is practice in the UK.

As such the point must be made that much of what is contained herein is based on clinical experience rather than robust evidenced based research. As a group we welcome any advances in research and it is hoped that this website may stimulate enquiring minds in to research activity. In the meantime, welcome to our website!

Some of the highlights of this website include

	a list of projects students might want to consider undertaking or becoming involved with
	invitation to form an international society for OTs working with people with HIV

We always welcome feedback and suggestions - please email the webmaster below.

Note that the information herein is where official references are lacking, the clinical opinion of the credited individual and not the College of Occupational Therapy.

Hot topics in HIV

Hot topics at the moment include

	the emerging role of OTs with adolescents who have been positive since birth
	asylum and immigration and access to treatments
	vocational and study / work issues for people living with HIV
	cardiac risk and higher rates of cardiac pathology amongst HIV+ populations

Contact Information

For information regarding the HIV subsection of HOPE, including information on how to join or the next meeting, please contact:

Camilla Hawkins, Senior I Occupational Therapist at The Mildmay Mission Hospital, Hackney Road, London E2 7NA.

Telephone: (020) 7613 6323
Electronic mail: occ.therapy@mildmay.org

For comments or suggestions regarding this site please contact the webmaster:

Will Chegwidden, Specialist Senior Occupational Therapist, Infection & Immunity Specialty Group, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, West Smithfield, London EC1A 7BE.

Telephone: (020) 7601 8270
Electronic mail: will.chegwidden@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk

this page compiled by

Will Chegwidden, Specialist Senior Occupational Therapist, St. Bartholomew's Hospital

February 2005