Attitudes Toward Patients with AIDS: A Comparison Between Urban And Rural Perioperative Nurses

Abstract

he AIDS epidemic has reached astounding proportions in the United States. As T of September 1992, 242,146 cases of AIDS had been reported to the Centers for Disease Control; of those, 160,372 have died. By 1994, a cumulative total in the United States is projected to reach 415,000 to 535,000 cases.’ The AIDS epidemic has been identified as an urban disease with most cases occurring in metropolitan areas,* yet recent evidence suggests that large numbers of patients with AIDS are returning to their families for support and care. Rural communities are beginning to feel the impact on health care workers, families, and resource^.^ Responsibility for the care of patients with AIDS has been delegated in many situations to rural community nurses and physicians who often are ill prepared to deal with the disease, both medically and socially.4 Personal contact with HIV-positive patients and those with AIDS may elicit highly emotional, prejudicial, and sometimes hysterical response^.^ Studies have indicated that nurses with negative attitudes are less likely to spend time in the delivery of care to patients with AIDS, thus reducing the quality of care they provide.6 Preexisting social stigmatization and fear of exposure may be the underlying reason for prejudicial attitudes toward these patients. Nurses are part of the community and are inclined to hold the attitudes, social beliefs, and biases that the general community holds. Nurses with strong religious beliefs are more likely to hold negative attitudes about individuals who practice homosexuality and drug abuse.’ Research has documented that nurses who previously have cared for patients with AIDS and nurses who are confident in their skills and knowledgeable about self-protection hold less prejudice toward patients with AIDS and are more confident in their ability to deliver high-quality care to patients with AIDS8 Perioperative nurses are no exception to these general findings. Because of their constant exposure to body fluids, they are at an increased risk of exposure to the HIV. To ensure the delivery of quality care, perioperative nurses must be able to identify their attitudes that may result from personal contact with HIV-positive/AIDS patients.