KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES REGARDING HIV/AIDS AMONG NURSES IN PUBLIC SECTOR HOSPITALS PESHAWAR

Background: The nurses have a vital role to prevent, treat, and manage HIV/AIDS. Their attitudes, practices, and knowledge have a great impact on the quality of care they offer to HIV/AIDS individuals, especially in healthcare facilities that have a limited number of resources. Objective: This study was conducted to determine the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices among nurses working in Peshawar, Pakistan in tertiary care hospitals in the public sector. Methods: Its study was a hospital-based cross-sectional descriptive study where 284 nurses in three tertiary care hospitals in Peshawar in the public sector participated in the study. The completion of a pre-tested and validated self-administered questionnaire which is used to assess knowledge, attitude and practice with regards to HIV/AIDS was used to obtain the data. The results were summarized with the help of the descriptive statistics, and the association between the chosen variables was explored with the help of the chi-square test. Results: Most of the nurses were found to have a fair amount of knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention. Hand hygiene, gloving and observance of standard precautions were mostly appropriate. However, a significant number of the respondents expressed their occupational exposure fear and a stigmatizing attitude towards individuals with HIV/AIDS, including morality and social isolation and confidentiality concerns. Such results highlight the gap between knowledge and attitudes in the presence of acceptable clinical practices. Conclusion: Even though the nurses had sufficient knowledge and mostly safe behavior with regard to HIV/AIDS care, negative attitudes and stigma still exist. To successfully resolve these problems, special educational, institutional interventions are required focusing on the change of attitudes, ethical values, and minimizing stigma to improve the quality of HIV/AIDS care in healthcare facilities.