The Effect of Professional Education on the Knowledge and Attitudes of Physical Therapist and Occupational Therapist Students About Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Abstract

Background and Purpose. Anxiety and fear about caring for people with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are concerns expressed by students in health care professions. This study was designed to evaluate the influence of education offered to physical therapist (PT) and occupational therapist (OT) students on their knowledge, attitudes, and willingness to provide services to people with AIDS. Subjects and Methods. Twenty-six undergraduate PT students and 23 undergraduate OT students completed a questionnaire at the beginning of their professional education program, following a 5-hour AIDS education seminar, and shortly before their graduation. The questionnaire consisted of 3 subscales designed to evaluate the respondents' knowledge, attitudes, and willingness to treat people with AIDS. Results. At the time of graduation, the students in both disciplines showed improvenle~lt in knowledge about AIDS (14.3% for PT students and 13.8% for OT students) and more positive attitudes toward people with AIDS (7.4% for PT students and 5% for OT students). In both disciplines, the students' willingness to provide services for people with AIDS remained unchanged following the AIDS education seminar and at the end of the professional education program. Conclusion and Discussion. The professional education offered to the cohort of students in this study appeared to be beneficial in improving their knowledge and attitudes toward people with AIDS, but it did not affect their willingness to work with this patient group. [Balogun JA, Kaplan MT, Miller TM. The effect of professional education on the knowledge and attitudes of physical therapist and occupational therapist students about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Phys Ther. 1998;78: 1073-1082.1

Effects of palliative care training program on knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and experiences among student physiotherapists: A preliminary quasi-experimental study

“…[1314] In physical therapy, Balogun et al . [15] studied student’s attitudes and knowledge following a five-hour education program on AIDS which showed positive benefits on understanding patients but not on their willingness to work with such patients, in contrast to earlier work of Held[16] who found improved willingness following an educational program. To our knowledge, there was no earlier study that evaluated the effectiveness of palliative care training program among physical therapists.…”

Relationships Between Dimensions of Disability Experienced by Adults Living with HIV: A Structural Equation Model Analysis

“…As more individuals live longer and age with HIV, they may be living with health challenges associated with HIV and potential adverse effects of treatments. The premature onset of cardiovascular disease, diabetes [1], bone and joint disorders [2,3], neurocognitive disorders [4] and non-AIDS-defining cancers [5], add further complexity to the health challenges experienced by adults with HIV. Hence, it is increasingly important for clinicians to consider the healthrelated consequences of HIV [6][7][8] and multiple morbidities [9,10], such as fatigue, weakness, pain, and changes in body composition to difficulties participating in society, such as employment [11][12][13].…”

Survey of occupational therapy students' attitudes towards sexual issues in clinical practice

“…For example, health professional students have been found to be uncomfortable when dealing with clients whose sexual orientation differs from their own (Eliason and Raheim, 2000) or with clients who have AIDS (e.g. Balogun et al, 1998). Additionally, since gender differences exist with regard to sexual attitudes (e.g.…”