Abstract
BackgroundCaring for people with HIV/AIDS is a challenging issue for nursing students, involving sometimes misconceptions due to different cultural, political, and religious views. Aim: the aim of this study was to investigate nursing students' attitudes on caring for people with HIV/AIDS.MethodsA convenient sample of undergraduate nursing students enrolled in four European universities was recruited. Data were collected by administering the AIDS Attitude Scale (AAS) and analysed through parametric and non-parametric statistics. The sample consisted of 594 students of which 162 (27.3%) were English, 246 (41.4%) Italian and 186 (31.3%) Greek.ResultsStudents' attitudes toward HIV/AIDS patients were relatively positive, although most of them indicated fear of contracting HIV through clinical practice. Students' positive feelings for HIV/AIDS patients were also correlated with the strong willingness to take care of them.ConclusionsA significant part of the participants believed that HIV/AIDS make nursing a high-risk profession. Furthermore, students' misconceptions were not limited to clinical practice. Students were in general well-disposed towards this patients' population but there was still stigma associated with this condition. A new educational approach may help redefining students' attitudes and improving quality of nursing care. Further investigation would help in shading light on why students are still biased in approaching those patients.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
