Das K, Misra K; International Conference on AIDS.

Int Conf AIDS. 1998; 12: 1155 (abstract no. 60842).

MIVA Foundations, India.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of base level health care providers (nurses) involved in patient management, regarding HIV/AIDS. METHODS: 70 pre-structured questionnaires were distributed among the nurses. Of those 50 completed responded were received and analysed. RESULTS: Of the 50 nurses whose responses were analysed 70% have been working for more than 10 years. About 50% have secondary education; a substantial group comes from the villages (22% as compared to 38% from city and 40% from suburbs). 24% of the 50 are trainees. All of them have heard about AIDS out of which 16% have not heard about HIV. Fourteen percent think AIDS to be a contagious disease. Full and correct knowledge about HIV is found in only 48%. Almost 30% think HIV to be a blood test for AIDS. Most of them have heard about AIDS first from T.V. and consider T.V., newspaper and doctors as important mediums of acquiring further knowledge. Only 40% are aware of the routes of transmission and methods of prevention. Many think AIDS to be a disease in which quality of life deteriorates (14%) as there is no treatment (32%) and death is inevitable (46%). So far no one has cared for AIDS patients and 66% of them want to avoid or deny looking after HIV positive and AIDS patients. More than 60% of them think condom and ligation to be the most effective preventive measures. CONCLUSION: Knowledge is fragmented and misconception is rife among the nursing staff. Intervention is urgently needed to update knowledge and skills in order to change their attitude and practice.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Attitude of Health Personnel
• Biomedical Research
• Condoms
• Counseling
• HIV Infections
• HIV Seropositivity
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Health Personnel
• Hospitals, Maternity
• Humans
• India
• Nurses
• Physicians
• Questionnaires

Other ID:

• 98410459

UI: 102232788

From Meeting Abstracts