Knowledge of human immunodeficiency virus, attitudes, and willingness to conduct human immunodeficiency virus testing among Indian dentists

Evaluating Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior of Dentists on HIV/AIDS in West Java, Indonesia, in the COVID-19 Era

Purpose

HIV/AIDS is still a serious public health problem in Indonesia. It has been concerned that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has a serious impact on people living with HIV (PLWH). Therefore, dentists remain to have a significant role to play in the overall healthcare delivery to PLWH and reducing new HIV infections. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of dentists in West Java about HIV/AIDS in the COVID-19 era.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted by distributing online questionnaires using a Google form to dentists in West Java. We used the purposive sampling technique to recruit the participants. The questionnaire consists of characteristics of respondents, 13 questions about knowledge, 9 questions about attitudes, and 6 questions about behaviors, which has previously been tested for validity and reliability. Data were analyzed using the Spearman correlation test and the Chi-square test. Results. The Questionnaire was sent to 435 dentists in the West Java region, Indonesia, with the assistance of the Indonesian Dental Association West Java region, to participate in this study. We received completed questionnaires from 209 (48%) respondents. The results of this study showed that 44% of dentists have good knowledge, 53% have a positive attitude, and 53% have positive behavior. No significant relationship was found between knowledge and attitudes (p=0.202) and behavior (p=0.087), but there was a significant relationship between attitudes and behavior (p=0.0001).

Conclusion

About half of the dentists in West Java have good knowledge, positive attitudes, and behavior towards HIV/AIDS, but the others lack knowledge, negative attitudes, and behavior. Continuing HIV/AIDS education and training programs for dentists are still needed to keep improving their knowledge and awareness to support disease prevention and control in this COVID-19 era.

Knowledge and attitude towards HIV/AIDS in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 47 studies from 2010-2020

Background: Several studies assessed the level of knowledge and general public behavior on human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immuno-deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in India. However, comprehensive scrutiny of literature is essential for any decision-making process. Our objective was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the level of knowledge and attitude towards HIV/AIDS in India.

Methods: A systematic search using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and free terms was conducted in PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar databases to investigate the level of knowledge and attitude of HIV/AIDS in India population. Cross-sectional studies published in English from January 2010 to November 2020 were included. The identified articles were screened in multiple levels of title, abstract and full-text and final studies that met the inclusion criteria were retrieved and included in the study. The methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute’s checklist for cross-sectional studies. Estimates with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each domain were pooled to examine the level of knowledge and attitude towards HIV/AIDS in India.

Results: A total of 47 studies (n= 307 501) were identified, and 43 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The overall level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS was 75% (95% CI: 69-80%; I2 = 99.8%), and a higher level of knowledge was observed among female sex workers (FSWs) 89% (95% CI: 77-100%, I2 = 99.5%) than students (77%, 95% CI: 67-87%, I2 = 99.6%) and the general population (70%, 95% CI: 62-79%, I2 = 99.2%), respectively. However, HIV/AIDS attitude was suboptimal (60%, 95% CI: 51-69%, I2 = 99.2%). Students (58%, 95% CI: 38-77%, I2 = 99.7%), people living with HIV/AIDS (57%, 95% CI: 44-71%, I2 = 92.7%), the general population (71%, 95% CI: 62-80%, I2 = 94.5%), and healthcare workers (HCWs) (74%, 95% CI: 63-84%, I2 = 0.0%) had a positive attitude towards HIV/AIDS. The methodological quality of included studies was "moderate" according to Joanna Briggs Institute’s checklist. Funnel plots are asymmetry and the Egger’s regression test and Begg’s rank test identified risk of publication bias.

Conclusion: The level of knowledge was 75%, and 40% had a negative attitude. This information would help formulate appropriate policies by various departments, ministries and educational institutions to incorporate in their training, capacity building and advocacy programs. Improving the knowledge and changing the attitudes among the Indian population remains crucial for the success of India’s HIV/AIDS response.

HIV testing in the dental setting: A global perspective of feasibility and acceptability

HIV is no longer a death sentence with early diagnosis and effective treatment contributing to a good prognosis. Surveillance data, however, suggest that one in four people globally living with HIV are unaware of their HIV infection and remains at risk of transmitting their infection if having unprotected sex. A wider array of testing opportunities and settings are thus needed to address this issue of public health significance. Evidence suggests there is a role for the dental team, particularly dentists, in offering chairside point-of-care HIV screening to patients during their dental appointments. Dentists, dental hygienists, and other members of the dental team may still have a role in helping to identify new cases of HIV with the goal of improving health outcomes, addressing health inequalities and improving the quality and quantity of life. This paper reviews the global epidemiology of HIV/AIDS, summarizes the point-of-care HIV testing process, highlights key findings of international studies (from high-, middle-, and low-income countries) on the role of dental professionals in point-of-care HIV testing, and offers suggestions for what additional evidence is needed to make point-of-care HIV testing a routine part of dental care.

Evaluation of Nurses' Knowledge and Attitude toward HIV-Infected Patients in Barbados

BACKGROUND

Continued assessment of nurses' knowledge and attitude is necessary for improving their performance at workplace. We attempted to evaluate nurses' knowledge and attitude toward HIV-infected patients and their underlying factors.

METHODS

We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study participated by 218 nurses and collected relevant data.

RESULTS

Majority (57.3%) of the nurses had 1 to 5 years of experience in the nursing job, and 78.4% of them were involved in the provision of direct care to HIV-infected individuals for ≤5 years, and only 6.4% for ≥11 years. The overall knowledge and attitude of the participants were good (3.25/5 and 3.42/5 scores, respectively). The knowledge regarding appropriate care of HIV-infected patients was significantly better among the registered nurses compared to nursing assistants (NA) with limited years of formal education (odds ratio [OR] = 0.37; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.20-0.69; P <.001). In the provision of care to the HIV-infected patients, the attitude of female participants was significantly better than the males (unadjusted OR = 0.18; 95% CI = 0.05-0.60; P = .01).

CONCLUSION

Inclusion of relevant HIV- and AIDS-related topics in the curriculum for NAs and closely guided hands-on training of the nurses are likely to improve nurses' knowledge and attitude toward the provision of care to HIV-infected individuals.

Assessing patients' attitudes to opt-out HIV rapid screening in community dental clinics: a cross-sectional Canadian experience

BACKGROUND

As a public health initiative, provided-initiated HIV screening test in dental settings has long been available in the U.S.; it was only in 2011 that such setting was used in Canada. The objective of this paper was to assess patients' response to, and attitudes towards, an opt-out rapid HIV screening test in a dental setting in Vancouver, Canada.

METHODS

A cross-sectional evaluation design using a self-complete survey questionnaire on self-perceived values and benefits of an opt-out rapid HIV screening was employed. An anonymous 10-item questionnaire was developed to explore reasons for accepting or declining the HIV rapid screening test, and barriers and facilitators for the HIV screening in dental settings. Eligible participants were male and female older than 19 years attending community dental clinics and who were offered the HIV screening test between June 2010 and February 2015.

RESULTS

From the 1552 age-eligible patients, 519 completed the survey and 155 (10 %) accepted the HIV screening due to its convenience, and/or free cost, and/or instant results. From the 458 respondents who did not accept the screening, 362 (79 %) were between the ages of 25 and 45 years; 246 (53.7 %) had identifiable risk factors for contracting HIV; and 189 (41.3 %) reported having been tested within the last 3 months. Those tested in less than 3 months had 3.5 times higher odds to decline the HIV screening compared to those who have been tested between 3 months and 1 year.

CONCLUSIONS

Convenience, cost-free and readily available results are factors influencing rapid HIV screening uptake. Although dental settings remain an alternative venue for HIV screening from the patients' perspectives, dental hygiene settings might offer a better option.