The determinants of willingness to care for people living with HIV-AIDS: A cross-sectional study in Indonesia

Strategies to improve the care of older adults 50 years and above living with HIV in Uganda

INTRODUCTION

With effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), many persons living with HIV (PLHIV) live to old age. Caring for aged PLHIV necessitates the engagement of caregivers and patients to establish agreed-upon goals of treatment. However, there is limited literature on friendly and centered models of care for elderly PLHIV. We explored strategies to improve care in HIV clinics among PLHIV aged 50 years and above in Uganda.

METHODS

We conducted 40 in-depth interviews in two hospitals with elderly PLHIV aged 50 years and above who had lived with HIV for more than ten years. We explored strategies for improving care of elderly PLHIV at both health facility and community levels. The in-depth interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The thematic approach guided data analysis.

RESULTS

The elderly PLHIV suggested the following strategies to improve their care: creating geriatric clinics; increasing screening tests for non-communicable diseases in the ART clinics; community and home-based ART delivery; workshops at health facilities to provide health education on aging effectively; creating community support groups; financial assistance for the elderly PLHIV and advances in science.

CONCLUSIONS

There is need to improve community HIV care especially for the elderly and social and economic support in the community. Involving the elderly PLHIV in developing strategies to improve their health goes a long way to improve the patients' quality of care. There is a need to incorporate the raised strategies in HIV care or older adults.

Understanding Women's Knowledge, Awareness, and Perceptions of STIs/STDs in Asia: A Scoping Review

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to conduct a scoping review to collect current literature on the knowledge, awareness, and perception (KAP) of sexually transmitted infections/diseases (STIs/STDs) among women in Asia.

METHODOLOGY

The PRISMA-Scoping methodology was used in this study to extract papers from four databases published between 2018 and 2022. Sixty-eight articles were included after screening and elimination.

RESULTS

The studies on KAP of STIs/STDs among women were largely undertaken in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam) and South Asia (India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh). Regardless of the specific cohort of women studied, research indicates consistently low levels of knowledge and awareness across Asia. This trend seems to be more prevalent among female commercial sex workers, women with lower educational levels, and those in poorer socioeconomic positions. In South Asia, cultural, sociological, economic, and gender inequalities, particularly male domination, all have a significant impact on KAP levels.

CONCLUSION

As education is a major factor that influences health behaviour, this review underscores the need to allocate more resources to educational initiatives, particularly targeting vulnerable groups such as sex workers, transgender women, pregnant women, and rural housewives. This strategic focus may contribute significantly to preventing STIs/STDs, particularly in less developed regions/countries.

Nursing Care on HIV/AIDS-Positive Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Qualitative Descriptive Study of Nurse's Perspective in Indonesia

HIV/AIDS-positive men who have had sex with men (MSM) account for roughly one-third of new infections in the region, with numerous nations facing a high and rising prevalence. They often face stigmatization and discrimination from society, including nurses. This study aims to explore nurses' perspectives on caring for HIV/AIDS-infected MSM. A descriptive qualitative design was utilized. Fifteen nurses who cared for HIV/AIDS-positive MSM in the two hospitals in Jakarta, Indonesia, were recruited with purposive sampling techniques. A semi-structured and in-depth interview was conducted. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. We emerged three superordinate and nine subordinate themes: (1) negative nurse perceptions in the early phase of treatment, (2) nurse attitudes contrasting with negative perceptions, and (3) nurses with knowledge of HIV/AIDS. The negative perceptions appeared only at the beginning of the treatment phase, and thereafter, they were followed by a positive attitude. Nurses appeared to develop a better understanding after interacting with their patients and receiving training on HIV/AIDS. Therefore, intensive training is expected to not only increase their knowledge but to encourage a positive attitude.

The Optimization of HIV Testing in Eastern Indonesia: Findings from the 2017 Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey

There is a concerning increase in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) incidence in eastern Indonesia. HIV testing rates in this area are the lowest in the country. This study aimed to analyze the determinants of HIV testing in the Public Health Centers (PHCs) in eastern Indonesia. A cross-sectional study design was utilized using secondary data from the 2017 Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey (IDHS). We focused the survey on eastern Indonesia (Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua) with PHC settings. After we weighted and removed missing data, we obtained 2118 surveys (425 males and 1693 females aged 14−54 years). Chi-square and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the determinants of HIV testing optimization in eastern Indonesia with a significance level of p < 0.05. The HIV testing coverage at the PHCs in eastern Indonesia was found to be 28.28%. From the survey, we found that respondents from the province of Papua (AOR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.09−1.91), those who were female (AOR: 2.37; 95% CI: 1.75−3.12), and those with more information on HIV (AOR: 1.88; 95% CI: 1.41−2.51) were more likely to undergo HIV testing at the PHCs. Meanwhile, the wealthiest respondents (AOR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.42−0.89) and the respondents who engaged in the perpetuation of stigmatization (AOR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.42−1.02) were less likely to undergo HIV testing at the PHCs. The coverage of HIV testing in eastern Indonesia needs special attention from the Indonesian government. Increasing equity, distributing information regarding HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) through social media, and creating accessible HIV testing in rural areas are vital for developing appropriate interventions.

Healthcare needs of people living with human immunodeficiency virus: A qualitative descriptive study

AIM

A better understanding about the health care and support needs is beneficial to maintain the linkage between People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (PLWH) and healthcare services. This study aims to explore the healthcare needs of PLWH from their perspectives.

DESIGN

A qualitative descriptive study design was undertaken in July 2017 to June 2018.

METHODS

Fourteen participants were recruited by purposive sampling technique. Face-to-face in-depth interview and focus-group discussion (FGD) were conducted and analysed using content analysis.

RESULTS

Data revealed five themes, namely the needs to be free from stigma and discrimination, strengthen life spirit, have safe sexual practices, social support, and have accessible and affordable healthcare services.

CONCLUSION

People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus have their own perspectives on their healthcare needs. Therefore, nurses and other healthcare providers need to explore, understand, and respond to the needs, and incorporate them into comprehensive and holistic care.

Spiritual Needs and Their Correlation with Characteristics of People Living with HIV/AIDS: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Spirituality is an essential factor for HIV/AIDS patients. Spirituality helps a person to achieve balance, improves health, well-being, and adapt to illness. There are several factors related to the spiritual needs of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). One of them is the characteristic of PLWHA. AIM: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between spiritual needs with characteristic PLWHA. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design that included 103 PLWHA was conducted from July 2020 to August 2020 in HIV Service Clinic, Garut Regency, Indonesia. We used Spiritual Needs Questionnaire 2.1 (SpNQ 2.1) to collect the data. Chi-square was used for variable analysis. RESULTS: The dimension of religious needs has the highest score mean = 13.51, SD = 5.434, and existence needs have the lowest score with mean = 10.49, SD = 4.752 compared to other dimensions. The Chi-square test results showed that there was a significant relationship between gender (p = 0.012) and length of diagnosis (p = 0.019) on the spiritual needs of PLWHA. CONCLUSION: Spiritual needs have a significant relationship with the characteristics of PLWHA. All dimensions of spiritual needs become essential for people with HIV/AIDS.

The Relationships between Self-care and Coping Strategy among People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus

AIM: This study aims to examine the relationships between self-care and coping strategy among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH). METHODS: A cross-sectional design involving 76 subjects of PLWH who attended the HIV clinic at a District Hospital in West Java Province, Indonesia. They met inclusion criteria such as being adult, has been living with HIV for over 1 year, and be able to communicate both verbal and written in Bahasa Indonesia. Self-care was measured by the 41-item Self-care Assessment Worksheet instrument, and coping strategies were measured by the 60-item Jalowiec Coping Scale. Pearson-product moment correlation was performed to examine the relationships between self-care and coping strategy scores. RESULTS: The majority of respondents (57.8%) used the emotion focused coping strategy such as supportant (31.5%) followed by fatalistic (21%) and optimistic (17.1%) when they deal with stressful situations. Optimistic coping was reported as the most effective coping by the respondents. Nearly half of respondents (42%) have intermediate self-care level which the highest number of self-care was medication. There was a significantly relationship between problem-focused coping strategy and the self-care scores (r = 0.378, p < 0.01). Confrontive coping strategy has positive correlation with symptoms management (r = 0.264, p < 0.05) and stress management (r = 0.280, p < 0.05). Self-care information has positive correlation with palliative coping strategy (r = 0.281, p < 0.05) and supportant coping strategy management (r = 0.236, p < 0.05). Prevention and medication have positive correlation with optimistic emotional coping strategy (r = 0.264, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Understanding PLWH coping strategies could assist nurses to reinforce patient’s positive coping strategies and change maladaptive coping strategies. Nurses could facilitate patients to develop a more adaptive coping strategies in enhancing self-care capability among PLWH.

Factors Associated with the Behavior of Men who Have Sex with Men in the Prevention of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission

Background: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS transmission caused by the behavior of men who have sex with men (MSM) is still a concern. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors associated with MSM behavior in relation to the prevention of HIV transmission. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design. The total sample was 176 respondents determined using consecutive sampling technique. The variables consist of demographic data, knowledge, attitude, beliefs, the accessibility of the health facilities, health-related skills, peer support, health care provider support and the prevention behavior concerning HIV transmission. The data was obtained using a questionnaire and it was analyzed using Chi-square and ordinal logistic regression. Results: From the sample of 176 MSM, the behavior of the prevention of HIV transmission was 43.75%, which is a moderate level. Through ordinal logistic regression, we found that knowledge [OR:1.171, CI: 0.414-1.929] and peer support [OR: 1.902, CI: 0.721, 3.082] are more likely to prevent HIV transmission. Conclusion: Knowledge and peer support are known to be very important factors concerning the behavior engaged in the prevention of HIV transmission. Increasing the level of knowledge and increasing the youth networks in the form of groups as a form of support can be promoted by nurses, health workers, and the community in order to prevent HIV transmission.