'The last resort would be to go to the GP'. Understanding the perceptions and use of general practitioner services among people with HIV/AIDS

In England and Wales, departments of Genito-Urinary Medicine have led the clinical response to HIV infection and AIDS (HIV/AIDS). They provide an open-access self-referral service on a basis of strict confidentiality. People with HIV/AIDS have been found to be reluctant to involve their general practitioner (GP) in their care. Previous research has not investigated their decisions about service use in the context of their broader strategies for coping with the multiple psychological and social challenges, which are posed by HIV/AIDS as a chronic, stigmatised condition. We report a depth-interview study of twenty people with HIV/AIDS in a low-prevalence non-metropolitan urban area of England. Their health care choices were products of complex judgements. Five concerns predominated: expertise, security, rights to care, confidentiality and the maintenance of normality. Transfer to GP care signified a transition from essential wellness to essential illness and represented a loss of biographical continuity. Their other concerns express problems of information management, which are universal features of stigmatising conditions. These may be heightened in the case of locally provided services, where any leakage of discrediting information is likely to impact directly on everyday life. These concerns should be understood and respected in policy initiatives to develop services.