New Your next steps booklet for people recently diagnosed with HIV

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Your next steps is a booklet for people who have just found out they have HIV. It is available in print and online at www.aidsmap.com/booklets

Starting to learn about HIV

People react in many different ways when they hear that they have HIV. It can take some time to come to terms with the news.

“I know that when I was first diagnosed, a lot of questions were going through my head but I didn’t remember everything and I could have done with a booklet like this to refer to.” Becky Mitchell

The Your next steps booklet provides a concise and reassuring introduction to some of the key topics people often have questions about. It is divided into the following sections:

A collaborative project

We’re really pleased to be able to offer this new resource, which responds to feedback from a research project we undertook last year. Respondents identified a need for a resource like this to be added to our popular information booklet series.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, we agreed with the Terrence Higgins Trust that we could update a resource they had published previously which is now out of print.

Lots of people were involved in the development and production of the booklet, in particular one of NAM’s editors, Roger Pebody, and NAM’s design lead, Kieran McCann, who created the illustrations used throughout. The illustrations go hand in hand with the simple, easy-to-read style of the booklet, making this a really accessible resource. As well as reading the text on our website, you can also view the booklet online using the flipbook function.

Roger worked with a helpful and enthusiastic panel of reviewers, including people living with HIV and people working in HIV services in the UK, to ensure that the content of the booklet covers the information people need when they are diagnosed. We are very grateful to them all for their help in shaping the development of the booklet.

“I thought it was great – easy to understand and helpfully answers the most common concerns patients have.” Hannah McCall, Senior Staff Nurse, Mortimer Market Centre

For more information

Clinics and organisations who have taken out a subscription with NAM can order printed copies of this resource. To find out more about how to order print copies and to see if your clinic is registered please contact zoe@nam.org.uk

NAM has achieved certification with The Information Standard, a quality mark scheme developed by the Department of Health.

Please be aware that NAM’s resources are protected by copyright, it is illegal to print or reproduce these resources without prior permission from NAM. Please contact us if you have any questions, if you would like to give us feedback on existing titles or suggestions for future titles.

This edition of Your next steps was published by NAM in 2014. The booklet was first published by Terrence Higgins Trust in 2007. NAM is very grateful to Terrence Higgins Trust for granting us permission to revise and publish the booklet.

MSD provided a restricted grant to support the editorial development, production, promotion and dissemination of Your next steps. MSD had no editorial input in the development of the booklet. We would also like to thank Wandsworth Oasis for funding towards the production of this booklet.