Guidelines on optimum treatment are now available for many diseases, but in few diseases does the standard of care evolve as quickly as it has done in the treatment of HIV infection. Whilst it may take three to five years for the results of major clinical trials in fields such as heart disease to be translated into improvements in the standard of care, treatment of HIV infection tends to change much more quickly.

In order to ensure that patients are offered a uniform minimum standard of care, and to help persuade funders to pay for new treatments, several organisations have developed guidelines for using anti-HIV drugs. These guidelines presented here are the work of the British HIV Association (BHIVA), the US Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS), and the World Heath Organization (WHO).

Highlights from these guidelines are summarised below; however, given the dynamic nature of HIV treatment and research, it is recommended that readers go to the actual internet sites of each of these organisations to view current guidelines and check for updates. The respective websites are:

• British HIV Association: http://bhiva.org
• US Department of Health and Human Services: http://aidsinfo.nih.gov
• World Health Organization: http://  http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/guidelines

The USPHS guidelines are available in English and Spanish. The WHO guidelines are available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.