What's on the web for family physicians - update on HIV medicine

Alfred KY Tang 鄧權恩， Bo-yee Shu 舒寶兒

HIV Manual – Third Edition (2013) by Department of Health, Hong Kong.
http://www.hivmanual.hk/

This Manual, with its 34 chapters of content written by local specialists, provides a Hong Kong perspective to HIV management for the need of local community. With the increasing number of antiretroviral drugs in use for treating HIV/AIDS, an interactive table is compiled which integrates essential drug information on common retroviral regimens, for easy reference by frontline doctors. The HIV Manual third edition addresses practical questions such as: when antiretroviral therapy is usually initiated, which drugs and dosages are often used, treatment outcome, and what-to-do when a health care worker is found to be HIV infected. Web version, Apps (Android and iPhone), and hardcopy are available.

CME Programme by Department of Health, Hong Kong
http://www.info.gov.hk/aids/english/ice_2.htm

It is an online HIV/AIDS study programme hosted by the Special Preventive Programme under the Department of Health. Topics include epidemiology, investigations, disease management and guidelines that are applicable to Hong Kong situation. New issue is available every four month. CME have been accredited by various colleges. Archive of previous issues, and answers are available at the website.

Continuing Education and Preceptorship
http://www.cfenet.ubc.ca/clinical-activities/clinicaleducation-and-training

This Canadian website is hosted by the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. It aims to improve HIV/AIDS clinical care and treatment through personalised learning programmes targeting health professionals and students. It covers a wide range of contents including HIV management in general practice, pre-exposure prophylaxis, updated therapeutic guidelines, publications, researches and online resources. A library of lecture videos on HIV related subjects is available at http://www.cfenet.ubc.ca/news/ video.

HIV Web Study
http://www.hivwebstudy.org/

This online study programme is developed by the Northwest AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC) and the University of Washington. With interactive case study activities on different clinical scenarios, the programme is intended for education of practitioners involved in the clinical care of HIV-infected or high risk patient. It hyperlinks to AETC, an integrated network for education, consultation and assistance to healthcare professionals to cope with comprehensive and challenging care for HIV patients. Useful information can be found in the resource library of the website, examples include the “Primary Care Guidelines for the Management of Persons Infected with HIV: 2013 Update” and an animated video of retrovirus life cycle.

Medscape HIV/AIDS CME and Education
http://www.medscape.org/hiv

Medscape, another online educational programme, is a CME accredited site by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) of the United States. The section on HIV/AIDS covers current topics and hot issues in this area. Education materials are classified into patho -physiology, diagnosis, epidemics, prognosis and patient education. It is most suitable for family physicians with some basic knowledge on HIV and wish to keep them updated of recent advances. The web design is user-friendly and CME materials presented include clinical brief, patient cases, knowledge and practices and journal articles.

NNPTC STD Case Series
https://www.stdcases.org

Hosted by the National Network of STD Clinical Prevention Training Centers (NNPTC) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the website is intended for physicians who may come across patients with sexually transmitted diseases in their daily practice. The series includes case presentations of common STD-related syndromes in a guided, interactive approach, especially on patient assessment, formulation of diagnosis and delivery of treatment. Each episode is outlined in detail and would take around one hour to complete. The cases are free of charge, and CME accredited.

e-Learning for Sexual Health and HIV (eHIV-STI)
http://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/sexual-healthand-hiv/

Developed by experienced educators in sexual health, eHIV-STI provides the knowledge framework for healthcare professionals in treating patients with sexually transmitted infections, including HIV and related conditions. The training materials provide an extensive coverage for STIs and HIV and is delivered at three levels from introductory, advanced to specialist knowledge. There are round 140 of e-learning sessions with integrated video clips and case studies, focusing on different areas of sexual health and HIV related conditions.

Publications by WHO on HIV and Co-infections
http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/en/
http://www.who.int/topics/hiv_aids/en/

Various guidelines, such as “WHO guidelines on HIV/AIDS”, “Consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, diagnosis, and treatment”, “Consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection”, have been published by WHO on HIV management and related issues. In addition, HIV statistics, factsheets on HIV and news update on HIV therapy are available on the website, providing a good source of information for physicians as well as travellers.