A patient who tested positive for HIV is started on antiretroviral medication. Which outcome would the nurse evaluate as indicating that the goals of this therapy are being met?. Select all that apply.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The goal of antiretroviral therapy is to suppress HIV replication, thereby reducing the viral load and preventing disease progression. A decrease in HIV RNA level (option A) suggests that the antiretroviral therapy is effective. Additionally, the absence of opportunistic infections (option C) indicates that the patient's immune system is not severely compromised. CD4 + T-cell count (option B) is also an important parameter, but a single isolated value is not sufficient to evaluate the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy. Viral load does not indicate that the disease is cured (option D), and weight loss (option E) is not a specific outcome of antiretroviral therapy.

A Patient Who Tested Positive for HIV Is Started on Antiretroviral