To the Editor.—Although Dr Lewis1addresses the critical role of clinician expertise
in the delivery of care for patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), he misinforms readers
about the position of AIDS advocates on this issue.
Lewis asserts, "It is surprising that by mid-1997 AIDS advocacy groups
have not seized on, to a greater extent, the relevance of the findings of
Kitahata et al2and the obvious growth in
complexity of decision making with regard to medical management of persons
with HIV or AIDS. By now, one would have presumed that these groups would
be encouraging persons with HIV infection to seek physicians who are ‘AIDS
experts.'"