Abstract
IntroductionStigma associated with HIV has been documented as a barrier for accessing quality health-related services. When the stigma manifests in the healthcare setting, people living with HIV receive substandard services or even be denied care altogether. Although the consequences of HIV stigma have been documented extensively, efforts to reduce these negative attitudes have been scarce. Interventions to reduce HIV stigma should be implemented as part of the formal training of future healthcare professionals. The interventions that have been tested with healthcare professionals and published have several limitations that must be surpassed (i.e., lack of comparison groups in research designs and longitudinal follow-up data). Furthermore, Latino healthcare professionals have been absent from these intervention efforts even though the epidemic has affected this population disproportionately.MethodsIn this article, we describe an intervention developed to reduce HIV stigma among medical students in Puerto Rico. A total of 507 medical students were randomly introduced into our intervention and control conditions.ResultsThe results show statistically significant differences between the intervention and control groups; intervention group participants had lower HIV stigma levels than control participants after the intervention. In addition, differences in HIV stigma levels between the groups were sustained for a 12-month period.ConclusionsThe results of our study demonstrate the efficacy of the modes of intervention developed by us and serve as a new training tool for future healthcare professionals with regard to stigma reduction.
Highlights
Stigma associated with HIV has been documented as a barrier for accessing quality health-related services
More than one-fourth of the sample knew someone with HIV and the vast majority reported that HIV was discussed in their medical school coursework, yet more than 90% of the participants believed other medical students discriminated against people living with HIV (PLHIV)
The results of our study suggest that the SPACES intervention is an efficacious tool for stigma reduction among medical students
Summary
The burden of HIV in the Caribbean and Puerto Rico The Caribbean is the second most HIV-affected region in the world with an estimated prevalence of 1% [1]. The consequences of HIV stigma worsen when stigmatizing behaviour originates from people who are important in the lives of PLHIV, such as healthcare professionals [7] This is true for physicians, who play such a pivotal role in treatment. One participant mentioned: ‘‘It was very important because some of the information I had was totally wrong.’’ They described the intervention as a positive experience, and another participant reported the following: ‘‘I feel more open minded to working with patients.’’ Our study aimed at assessing the efficacy of the SPACES intervention in reducing HIV stigma attitudes among medical students in Puerto Rico. We stressed the importance of providing stigma-free spaces and interactions in medical settings
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