Abstract
Objective. To assess medical and nursing students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Fiji. Methods. A cross-sectional study of 275 medical and 252 nursing students that participated in a questionnaire survey on HIV KAP. Data was analysed according to their gender, program of study, and academic year. Results. The mean HIV knowledge (HK) and attitude scores were 16.0 and 41.3, respectively. Mean HK score was significantly higher in males compared to females. Significant positive correlations were found between HK and academic year for medical (R=0.459) and nursing (R=0.342) students and between HK and attitude scores (R=0.196). The majority of students indicated fear in contracting HIV through clinical practice and felt that health care workers have the right to know a patients HIV status for their own safety. The majority would wear gloves to touch a patient if suspected of HIV. Conclusions. The study found a high level of HIV knowledge and positive attitude towards HIV patients. However, respondents also displayed negative attitudes and unacceptable practices probably due to fear. Training institutions need to ensure that students gain accurate knowledge on HIV especially on transmission routes to allay the fear of caring for HIV-infected patients.
Highlights
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are global public health problems and are becoming a threat to the South Pacific region because more than 97.0% of all infections are occurring in the developing countries and increasing every year [1]
A total of 275 medical students and 252 nursing students participated in the study
Low representation from the senior classes was due to community and clinical rotation coinciding with the study
Summary
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are global public health problems and are becoming a threat to the South Pacific region because more than 97.0% of all infections are occurring in the developing countries and increasing every year [1]. The main goal of HIV and AIDS education in medical and nursing training is to equip them with the right information needed to provide effective and culturally appropriate care to their patients and at the same protect themselves against infection [4]. A study among Turkish nursing students found high levels of negative attitude and fear of contagion of HIV as a reason for being unwilling to care for HIV-infected patients [5]. In Turkey, a study among nursing students revealed that most students still have misconceptions about HIV and that their attitudes need improvement [8]
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