How Clinicians and Patients Talk about Herpes: Bridging the Disconnect

Despite the fact that 48% of people between 14 and 49 in the US are
infected with HSV 1, and one in eight adults is infected with HSV-2, many people living with herpes do not feel confident in their health care provider’s ability to help them manage the virus.

A 2024 HCA survey of patients with herpes found that the majority of respondents (67%) stated that self-stigma – guilt or embarrassment – was a significant barrier to seeking care and treatment. The majority of respondents (57%) lacked confidence in their healthcare providers’ ability to treat and manage herpes, and 64% said there were few educational resources about herpes available from their providers.

Terri Warren, a nurse practitioner and clinician who has specialized in herpes diagnosis, management, and treatment for more than 43 years, will discuss how to improve communication and responsiveness between patients and providers regarding herpes diagnosis, education, and management. This talk will be geared to people living with herpes, their loved ones, and clinicians in primary care, infectious disease, and reproductive and sexual health specialty clinics.

Bio: Terri Warren, Adult Nurse Practitioner and master’s prepared counselor, is the owner of the Westover Research Group (formerly the Westover Heights Clinic). Terri has been the investigator or subinvestigator in more than 120 clinical trials in infectious disease, with a speciality in HSV research and treatment. She is the author of The Good News about the Bad News, The Herpes Handbook and Tender Talk: A Practical Guide to Intimate Conversations. Terri also serves on the medical advisory board for Herpes Cure Advocacy.

Education:
MEd, Education and Counseling, Western Oregon University
RN, Oregon Health and Sciences University
MSN, Nurse Practitioner, University of Portland

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