WASHINGTON, DC (Monday, May 6, 2013) – The International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC) today announced the launch of myHIVclinic.org, a multi-language webportal meant to support clinicians in the management of HIV-associated comorbidities as well as the promotion of healthy aging with HIV for patients who are living longer because of life-saving and -enhancing antiretroviral therapy (ART).
“As access to ART improves worldwide, HIV-positive individuals are living longer. One consequence of improved survival is the increased average age of many communities affected by HIV,” said IAPAC Vice President/CMO Benjamin Young, MD, PhD. “There is an increasing appreciation of the changing spectrum of co-morbidities such as cancers, neurocognitive dysfunction, and cardiovascular, renal, and bone disease. This spectrum, and preventive health to improve the quality of life for an aging population of HIV-positive patients, will be myHIVclinic.org ‘s focus.”
In December 2012, IAPAC acquired the “myHIVclinic” domain from United Kingdom (UK)-based ViiV Healthcare, which awarded IAPAC a two-year educational grant to support the webportal’s re-launch as a fully independent, global source of education, information, and support for all categories of clinicians and lay providers of HIV care. The webportal formerly operated by ViiV Healthcare as myHIVclinic.com was disabled today upon the launch of myHIVclinic.org .
The new webportal will provide educational content through an adaptive and responsive design, and the content is optimized for viewing on tablets in addition to desktop browsers. The capacity to do so on handheld mobile devices will be available in June 2013. The content’s development/review is the purview of an international Steering Committee comprised of HIV care providers. The webportal will also offer its users the ability to participate in live and archived webinars, access literature through a journal club, and engage in social media-enabled learning.
IAPAC President/CEO José M. Zuniga, PhD, MPH, explained that “HIV care providers face the need to know more, but have less time and resources to acquire needed information. In launching myHIVclinic.org, we are using information and communication technologies to bridge gaps in education, language, and geography, as well as to facilitate linkages to optimal care, treatment, and support across medical disciplines and professions.”