Nurse attitude in ontological care to critical patients with human immunodeficiency virus

Introduction: the ontological care to critical patients with HIV, is a specific problem that addresses the way in which nursing professionals manage, provide and deliver care, which give answers to the care needs of patients facing the complexity of living with this disease. Method: qualitative research, with phenomenological design, 12 nurses from both private and public Intensive Care Units in Ecuador participated, obtained by convenience sampling, to whom semi-structured interviews were applied, for the analysis the Colaizzi model was followed, complementing it with the implementation of Atlas software. Ti Results: 6 categories emerged: 1. Nursing care to HIV patients in ICU from an ontological viewpoint; 2. Technique, action and effect that stand out in the care of HIV patients in an ICU; 3. Nursing competencies to provide quality care to critical patients with HIV; 6. Nurses’ attitude towards health prognosis reserved in the care of critical patients. Conclusion: the care of HIV patients in critical care services continues to be a paradigm for health professionals, which makes it necessary for staff to have cognitive, attitudinal and procedural skills to ensure the safety and quality of care.