Evaluation of Nurses’ Knowledge and Attitude toward HIV-Infected Patients in Barbados

Abstract

Background:Continued assessment of nurses’ knowledge and attitude is necessary for improving their performance at workplace. We attempted to evaluate nurses’ knowledge and attitude toward HIV-infected patients and their underlying factors.Methods:We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study participated by 218 nurses and collected relevant data.Results:Majority (57.3%) of the nurses had 1 to 5 years of experience in the nursing job, and 78.4% of them were involved in the provision of direct care to HIV-infected individuals for ≤5 years, and only 6.4% for ≥11 years. The overall knowledge and attitude of the participants were good (3.25/5 and 3.42/5 scores, respectively). The knowledge regarding appropriate care of HIV-infected patients was significantly better among the registered nurses compared to nursing assistants (NA) with limited years of formal education (odds ratio [OR] = 0.37; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.20-0.69; P <.001). In the provision of care to the HIV-infected patients, the attitude of female participants was significantly better than the males (unadjusted OR = 0.18; 95% CI = 0.05-0.60; P = .01).Conclusion:Inclusion of relevant HIV- and AIDS-related topics in the curriculum for NAs and closely guided hands-on training of the nurses are likely to improve nurses’ knowledge and attitude toward the provision of care to HIV-infected individuals.

Knowledge and attitudes of health professionals in Chile towards people living with human immunodeficiency virus: A cross-national survey

“…In the present study, 98.3% of participants considered using biosecurity measures regardless of patients’ serological status; similar to reports by Huq et al, 1 where 94% favored this consideration. The same questionnaire was used by Shahar et al 6 in Israel, identifying that 88% of surveyed individuals felt prepared to interact with PLHIV.…”

“…When the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) emerged, people living with HIV (PLHIV) were stigmatized, rejected, and discriminated against even by health professionals who initially had limited knowledge about the course of this disease. 1 This adversely affected individuals, considering nurses and physicians played a fundamental role in addressing not only the physical health needs but also, the social and spiritual needs of these patients, as Ajisegiri et al 2 mentioned. In other words, the health professionals’ knowledge, attitudes and beliefs primarily determined the success of the care provided to these patients.…”

Development and psychometric evaluation of the nurse behavior toward confirmed and suspected HIV/AIDS patients (NB-CSHAP) scale

“…Literature explicitly discussed that care providers such as nurses are prone to display negative behaviors espe-ciallywhentheylackadequateknowledgeofHIV. 11,40 Factor 3 refers to openhanded behaviors. These are benevolent behaviors that reflect the acts of presence, generosity, and the provision of holistic care.…”

Padrões do conhecer de enfermeiras sobre revelação do HIV à criança

“…Por um lado, estudos sobre HIV na infância têm se sustentado no conhecimento científico derivado de experiências de enfermeiras com o cuidado às pessoas com HIV na idade adulta (10)(11) . Por outro lado, as falhas na profilaxia da transmissão vertical têm demonstrado a necessidade de produzir conhecimentos centrados na experiência de enfermeiras que cuidam de crianças com HIV, para que, no momento oportuno, os familiares possam revelar essa condição para ela.…”