The single greatest barrier to the development of effective palliative care services for patients with AIDS is the belief that palliative care is a soft option when all else has failed. Comprehensive symptomatic and supportive care should be made available for all patients with AIDS long before the terminal phase of their illness. This palliative treatment is complementary to all aspects of  active medical treatment.

The psychological impact of AIDS on patients and their caregivers is enormous. Some of the social problems experienced by patients with AIDS different from those of patients with cancer. For example loss of employment through discrimination may lead to financial difficulties. The management of patients with AIDS has to be conducted in a culturally appropriate manner to the patients, many of them belong to male homosexual community.

As the disease progresses, the appropriateness or futility of various treatments have to be questioned. The questions of euthanasia and physician assisted suicide are often raised in relation to AIDS. Palliative care for patients with AIDS is still evolving but the goal should be to ensure that all patients dying with AIDS have access to appropriate and optimal multidisciplinary palliative care.