INR81 p.1 © 2001 International Council of Nurses Keywords Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Action Research, Change Intervention, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), India, Nursing Kaleidoscope: a 5-year action research project to develop nursing confidence in caring for patients with human immunodeficiency virus in west India R. J. Pratt 1 FRCN, RN, BA, MSc, C. M. Pellowe 2 RN, BA (Hons), MA (Ed), S. K. Juvekar 3 BSc, MSc, N. S. Potdar 4 RN, BSc, MSc, PhD, A. J.Weston 5 RN, MSc, A. Joykutty 6 RN, MSc, N. Robinson 7 BSc, PhD & H. P. Loveday RN, MA 1 Professor of Nursing, Wolfson Institute of Health Sciences,Thames Valley University, London, UK 2 Principal Lecturer,Wolfson Institute of Health Sciences,Thames Valley University, London, UK 3 Social Scientist, Association for Health, Education, Assistance and Development, Pune, India 4 Principal, Bombay Nurses’Training Institute,The Bombay Hospital Trust, Mumbai, India 5 Principal Lecturer,Wolfson Institute of Health Sciences,Thames Valley University, London, UK 6 Principal, Leelabai Thackersey College of Nursing, Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women’s University, Mumbai, India 7 Reader,Wolfson Institute of Health Sciences,Thames Valley University, London, UK 8 Principal Lecturer,Wolfson Institute of Health Sciences,Thames Valley University, London, UK Abstract As the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic rapidly unfolds in India, nurses have to acquire new competencies in order to provide appropriate care to an increasing number of affected persons. In response, an Indo–British action research collaboration was initiated to build clinical confidence and facilitate relevant changes in nursing practice. During a 10-day educational programme, a change intervention was applied, culminating in the development of individual and partnership action plans focused on bringing about changes in nursing practice within well-defined fields of action. Following implementation of their action plans, participants were reassembled 12 months later for a follow-up workshop to discuss their progress and describe those factors that either helped or hindered them in achieving their objectives. They then developed new action plans for the next 12-month period. This article reports on the results from six cohorts (n = 160) in India who participated in this project between 1995 and 1999. Action plans were frequently focused on infection control, primary prevention, curriculum development in preregistration nursing programmes and in-service nursing education. The majority of participants reported significant achievements in realizing their action-plan objectives. Data analysis revealed that the change intervention itself, Correspondence address: Professor Robert J. Pratt, Richard Wells Research Centre, Wolfson Institute of Health Sciences, Thames Valley University, 32–38 Uxbridge Road, London W5 2BS, United Kingdom Tel.: +44 (0)20 82805142 Fax: +44 (0)20 82805143 E-mail: robert.pratt@tvu.ac.uk 1 Original article 1