Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

Mapping HIV Nursing Core Competencies in Entry-Level Education: A Pilot Project

BACKGROUND

Many nursing specialty groups in Canada have developed their own entry-to-practice frameworks to inform nursing curricula. This article focuses on the framework of HIV/AIDS core competencies developed by the Canadian Association of Nurses in HIV/AIDS Care.

METHOD

The goal of this pilot project was to map the courses offered in one entry-level program to assess the applicability of the framework as a tool to inform curriculum development.

RESULTS

This project highlighted competencies that were well covered in the current courses offered in the program, as well as existing gaps. To address these gaps, five areas of improvement were identified.

CONCLUSION

The gaps and areas of improvement identified in this project are similar those identified in the nursing literature. As such, they reinforce the importance of incorporating education and training in entry-level programs with actual clinical experiences with and exposure to people living with HIV.

Exploring the role and capacity of school teachers in Zambia to support orphans and vulnerable children: considerations for educational resource allocation in Lusaka, Zambia

This study investigated teachers' perceptions of their role as HIV/AIDS educators and also their role in providing care for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) across the different school systems in Lusaka, Zambia. Researchers used a combined quantitative and qualitative narrative approach. Original cross-sectional data were collected through face-to-face survey and in-depth interviews with school teachers in the Lusaka. A sample of 720 teachers from 123 schools completed surveys in 2008, with a 91% response rate for teachers, and 100% for schools sampled. Teachers for all school types reported that schools and teachers are the appropriate community resource for HIV-prevention education for youth and support for OVC. This study suggests that schools could serve as a source and alternative mechanism of support for vulnerable children.

Community-Based Pharmacists’ Needs for HIV-Related Training and Experience

Objective:

To examine pharmacists’ self-reported competence in providing care to persons living with HIV (PLWH) and their HIV-related training and experience needs.

Methods:

We interviewed 28 community-based pharmacists providing care to PLWH in 4 Midwestern cities. Results: Less than half (46%) of the pharmacists considered themselves competent to provide PLWH care, and less than a third (29%) worked with PLWH during their pharmacy residency. Specialty pharmacists need training on opportunistic infections and HIV-related comorbidities, nonspecialty pharmacists need general training in HIV treatment and patient communications skills, and all pharmacists require a mechanism to keep updated in the latest HIV treatment recommendations.

Conclusion:

In the current era of patient-centered care, a pharmacist that is well rounded—not just in dispensing antiretroviral medications but highly knowledgeable in different aspects of ART and HIV-specific patient care—can make a valuable contribution to the health care team. Pharmacy school curricula and continuing professional education need to be aligned to meet the knowledge and competency needs of community pharmacists who are strategically positioned to provide care to PLWH.

Turkish nursing students' knowledge of and attitudes towards patients with HIV/AIDS

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To assess nursing students' knowledge of and attitudes towards such patients and to determine the variables associated with students' knowledge and attitudes towards them.

BACKGROUND

Improving nurses' and nursing students' knowledge and attitudes towards patients with HIV/AIDS is vital for providing quality care for such patients.

DESIGN

This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at three nursing schools located in two different cities in Turkey. The inclusion criteria for the nursing students were as follows: being at least 18 years old; being a first-, second-, third- or fourth-year nursing student; and giving consent to participate in the research.

METHODS

The sample comprised 580 nursing students. The study used three data collection tools: (1) the Student Socio-Demographic Questionnaire, (2) the HIV/AIDS Knowledge Questionnaire and (3) the HIV/AIDS Attitude Questionnaire.

RESULTS

Participants' knowledge was found to be insufficient, particularly with regard to HIV transmission routes. They generally had positive attitudes towards patients with HIV/AIDS. However, they expressed some concerns and were hesitant about working with AIDS and HIV-positive patients.

CONCLUSIONS

The current results reveal that nursing students still have misconceptions and a lack of knowledge of HIV/AIDS and that their attitudes need to be improved.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Improving education programmes about HIV/AIDS and using information sources effectively may contribute to better knowledge and more desirable attitudes towards HIV/AIDS.

A systematic review of the knowledge, attitudes and practice of trained nurses towards patients with HIV/AIDS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Background Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a global health problem. Stigmatization and blame which are associated with the disease have made efforts to control the pandemic challenging. With discoveries of anti-retroviral drugs, HIV/AIDS patients are expected to live longer. Therefore, nurses being frontline workers are expected to nurse them in different clinical settings. Some studies have found that nurses hold discriminatory attitudes when caring for HIV/AIDS patients, have gaps in their knowledge and differing practicesObjective The objective of this review was to synthesize the evidence on the knowledge, attitudes and practice of trained nurses towards HIV/AIDS patients.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

Types of participants Studies that included trained nurses, specifically Registered Nurses (RN) and Enrolled nurses (EN).Types of interventions Studies that evaluated knowledge, attitudes and practice of trained nurses towards HIV/AIDS patients.Types of measured outcomes Studies that included outcome measures of knowledge, attitudes or practices of trained nurses towards HIV/AIDS patients.Types of studies Cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, case control studies and descriptive studies were considered for inclusionSearch strategy A three-step search strategy was utilised. Search was limited to English language studies published between January 1990 till December 2010.Assessment of methodological quality The reviewers used the JBI Critical AppraisalChecklists to assess methodological quality.Data extraction Data were extracted using the JBI Data Extraction Form for experimental/observational studies.Data synthesis Meta-analyses was not performed. Findings are presented in a narrative summary.Results Thirty-three studies were included for this systematic review. All studies were descriptive studies. The results showed that the knowledge, attitude and practices of nurses varied. In general studies showed that: nurses' knowledge of HIV/AIDS was satisfactory but knowledge deficits are prevalent in certain areas; nurses also had positive attitudes, but still held fears; nurse showed more prejudice towards HIV/AIDS patients in the high risk groups; practiced of universal precaution was irregular; and nurses also changed their practice behaviours after knowing the patient is HIV positive.Conclusion Knowledge, attitude and practices of nurses varied worldwide. The level of knowledge is satisfactory but gaps in knowledge exist. Nurses have positive attitudes but is affected by the ways which a person acquired HIV/AIDS. Strong stigmatization is still prevalent towards high risk groups. The use of universal precaution also needs to be address. More well established questionnaire should be used to measure practice towards HIV/AIDS patients.Implications for practice Institutions need to: develop strategies to assist nurses to overcome fears, create self-awareness with regards to their attitude; relook into programmes to address knowledge deficits; make trainings available to keep nurses up-to-date; make protective barriers available for nurses readily; put universal precaution policy in place; look into universal precaution education.Implications for research Research should focused on using well established questionnaire to measure nurses' practices; the relationship between knowledge, attitude and practices; factors affecting the use of universal precautions in different settings; comparison between nurses' knowledge, attitudes and practices towards HIV/AIDS with other infectious diseases; develop and test education program for nurses.

Nurses' knowledge and attitudes to HIV/AIDS--an international comparison between Finland, Estonia and Lithuania

This paper presents baseline data on nurses' knowledge of and attitudes to HIV/AIDS in three countries: Finland, Estonia and Lithuania. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS is steadily increasing in Finland, Estonia and Lithuania. At the same time, labour mobility and also nursing mobility between these countries increases. Previous international studies have shown that lack of knowledge and negative attitudes continue to exist. A total of 681 registered nurses from one Finnish (n = 322), one Estonian (n = 191) and one Lithuanian (n = 168) hospital were surveyed in spring 2006. The questionnaire was originally developed by Held in 1993 and modified for this study. The questionnaire has three scales: demographic and other background variable, nurses' knowledge related to HIV/AIDS, and nurses' attitudes towards people with HIV/AIDS and towards the disease itself. Across the whole sample respondents showed average levels of HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes towards people with HIV/AIDS. Years of work experience correlated negatively with the knowledge and attitude levels. A significant correlation was found between the level of knowledge and attitudes. Significant differences were found between countries, Finnish nurses showing the highest knowledge levels and most positive attitudes towards patients with HIV/AIDS. Factors positively influencing levels of knowledge and attitudes were education, previous experience of providing care to HIV/AIDS patient or knowing someone with the infection, and willingness to provide care to HIV/AIDS patients. Supplementary education is needed to strengthen nurses' knowledge. It is important to recognize that there might be differences in knowledge and attitudes between neighbour countries. This needs to be taken into account when planning education for degrees and for further nursing education.

Chilean university students: knowledge and concern about HIV/AIDS

According to a 2004 report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Chile has an incipient HIV/AIDS epidemic. Regardless of the classification, every year the cumulative incidence of HIV/AIDS increases. Young Chileans have been the most affected group; still, their knowledge, attitudes, and concerns about HIV/AIDS are not known. This study describes Chilean university students' HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, their worry about getting the virus, and the correlation between both variables. A convenience sample of 45 university students responded to an anonymous self-administered questionnaire after orally consenting to participate in this study. Overall, students had good levels of HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, with 77% responding correctly to at least 85% of the questions. Despite this knowledge, almost 56% of students stated that they were not worried about getting HIV/AIDS. The situation was corroborated by a nonsignificant statistical correlation between both variables (p > .05). These results are congruent with literature from other countries and strengthen the need for further research to clarify why university students, the majority of whom are well-educated and engage in behaviors that place them at risk for contracting the virus, do not worry about HIV.

Obstetric nurses' attitudes and nursing care intentions regarding care of HIV-positive pregnant women

OBJECTIVE

To define attitudes toward pregnant women with HIV and how these attitudes correlate with and affect prejudice and nursing care intentions.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional descriptive correlational study of obstetric nurses.

SETTING

Eight hundred (800) mailed surveys in the United States (N = 350).

PARTICIPANTS

A random sample of nurses certified in inpatient obstetrics.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Background information tool, the Pregnant Women with HIV Attitude Scale, the Prejudice Interaction Scale in response to four vignettes, and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale-Form C.

RESULTS

Obstetric nurses had more positive Mothering-Choice attitudes than Sympathy-Rights attitudes (p= .000). Nurses who knew more than four people affected by HIV/AIDS had more positive attitudes (p<or= .05). Nurses with more positive attitudes were less prejudiced and more willing to care for pregnant women with HIV (p= .05). Nurses were significantly more prejudiced and less willing to care for women with than without HIV (p<or= .0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses' clinical care may be influenced by their attitudes and prejudice toward pregnant women with HIV. Nursing education should include how prejudice can affect our clinical decision making and behaviors. Research is needed to explicate the effects on patient outcomes.