Annual Report 2018 Annual Report 2018 | Page 22

HIV made easily understandable for the patients The Baylor Counselor’s Guide is a collection of 25 charts and, shortly after its completion, has become one of the resources with the highest frequency of use. The guide effectively maps the face-to-face counseling path: it communicates visually, its images illustrating key messages. “This new tool helps us transmit structured information and leads to increased accountability in managing one’s health issues. Understanding the disease and enhancing the ability to follow the prescribed treatment plan are essential! “ Alexandra Androne, clinical psychologist The concept facilitates decomposing complex information into simple and memorable frames, to make it easily understandable and memorized. The new resource has been developed starting from the team’s actual experiences, together with the changes in the evolution of the HIV epidemic and taking into consideration the need of the people living with HIV to understand their health. The Baylor Counselor’s Guide was developed in collaboration with the National AIDS Manual (NAM) in the UK, the content of the charts being adjusted to the socio-cultural realities in Romania. NAM (www.aidsmap.com) has provided people living with HIV concrete, clear and accurate information to help them manage their condition since 1987. The correct and reliable information allows people and communities affected by HIV to protect themselves as well as to protect others. 22