HIV/AIDS Stigma

The study sought to assess the knowledge of health-care providers about HIV/AIDS, determine the potential for discrimination in the provision of services based on patients’ HIV sero-status and review the factors that may contribute to such attitude. [from abstract]

This study examines the attitudes of nursing students toward caring for HIV/AIDS patients and their knowledge and perceptions about the disease. Findings revealed a very positive outlook of the nursing students in regards to caring for HIV/AIDS patients. Although most of them expressed their willingness to take any job offer concerning caring for HIV/AIDS patients, 34.3% apprehended resistance from their family members in this regard. However, they also considered that it would be possible for them to overcome the resistance. Although 100% of the students had heard of HIV/AIDS, a number of them had misconceptions about various aspects of the disease.

The integration of HIV-prevention activities into care has received little attention within or outside formal healthcare settings. The contribution of community home-based care services in facilitating disclosure of HIV status and reducing stigma have also not been described. This study examines the community impact of an integrated community home-based care (ICHC) programme on HIV-prevention efforts and disclosure of status. Quantitative data was collected from 363 people living with HIV (PLHIV) and 1 028 members of their micro-communities. [from abstract]

Anecdotal evidence suggests that health-care professionals in Nigeria may discriminate against and stigmatise people living with HIV/AIDS(PLWA). In a study in the August issue of PLoS Medicine, Reis and colleagues set out to characterise the nature and extent of discriminatory practices and attitudes in the health sector, and indicate possible contributing factors and intervention strategies. The study was specifically designed to answer three research questions: are there discriminatory practices in the health sector that affect the health and well-being of PLWA in Nigeria; how receptive are health workers and institutions to treating PLWA; and what underlying factors may contribute to any discriminatory practices? [author’s description]

The handbook is a resource collection of information sheets and participatory activities for NGOs working on HIV/AIDS who want to work towards a greater involvement of people living with HIV (GIPA) in their work. It aims at sensitising NGOs, building individual skills and organisational capacities so that NGO management, staff and volunteers can discuss and plan together in a participatory way how to meaningfully involve people living with HIV in their organisation. [from introduction]

This study conducted structured interviews with 204 health care providers in three public hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to evaluate the prevalence of stigma and discrimination among providers toward people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) and the factors associated with stigmatizing attitudes. Information on HIV/AIDS-related knowledge, perceived risk of infection, willingness to care, and availability of protective gear was also obtained. [from executive summary]

HIV/AIDS provider stigma has been understudied in the context of prevention, testing, and treatment. This article documents the results of a survey of persons associated with HIV/AIDS education, health care, and social service delivery in the Eastern Caribbean.

Stigma and discrimination are widely recognized as factors that fuel the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Uganda’s success in combating HIV/AIDS has been attributed to a number of factors, including political, religious and societal engagement and openness – actors that combat stigma and assist prevention efforts. Our study aimed to explore perceptions of Uganda-based key decision-makers about the past, present and optimal future roles of FBOs in HIV/AIDS work, including actions to promote or dissuade stigma and discrimination. [from abstract]

We examined how individual and institutional factors in health care settings affected discrimination toward persons with HIV/AIDS. A representative sample of 1101 Chinese service providers was recruited in 2005, including doctors, nurses, and laboratory technicians. [from abstract]

This series of 13 short video scenarios (each between 30 seconds and five minutes long) were produced to trigger discussion about common situations in Caribbean health care settings where HIV and AIDS stigma and discrimination may occur and can be prevented. The videos were produced to be used during HIV and AIDS training for health workers at all levels, including physicians, nurses, lab technicians, janitors and receptionists. A companion Facilitator Guide, provides detailed instructions for effective use of each trigger scenario, including suggested discussion questions and activities. The scenarios portray professional actors in various roles.

The objective of this code is to provide a set of guidelines to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the world of work and within the framework of the promotion of decent work. The guidelines cover the following key areas of action: prevention of HIV/AIDS; management and mitigation of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the world of work; care and support of workers infected and affected by HIV/AIDS; elimination of stigma and discrimination on the basis of real or perceived HIV status. [from preface]

The manual is designed to help the ILO’s partners understand the issues and apply the ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work. The Code is at the core of the ILO’s Programme on HIV/AIDS, providing guidance to governments, employers and workers, as well as other stakeholders, on national action plans and workplace policies and programmes to combat HIV/AIDS.

Horizons, in collaboration with CARE International and Family Health Trust, conducted a quasiexperimental intervention study to determine which care and support needs of people living with HIV and AIDS and their families could be met by trained youth, and to establish whether youth engaged in formalized care and support activities would increase their adoption of protective behaviors or reduce the stigma faced by members of AIDS-affected households.

The study was conducted in semi-urban and rural communities in two provinces of northern Zambia located 700 to 1,000 kilometers from Lusaka.

Although adequate knowledge about HIV infection and effective antitransmission measures, such as taking universal precautions in the handling of blood and other body fluids, are important factors in minimizing the risk of HIV transmission in the healthcare setting, little has been reported on the knowledge of nurses with regard to HIV infection and their attitude toward patients with AIDS in Iran. The aim of the present study was to assess these matters. [author’s description]

The primary aims of this study were to consider perceived types and causes of stigmatization, and develop recommendations for intervention and advocacy activities that address HIV/AIDS stigmatization and discrimination in health care settings. [author’s description]

The purpose of this study was to assess physicians’ knowledge, attitude and global comfort in caring for patients with AIDS (PWA), to determine the sociodemographic variables that could influence physicians and to identify any relationship between their knowledge, attitude and comfort. The study reinforced the need for an ongoing education focused on experiential learning and professional socialization in order to influence physicians’ attitude and enhance their feeling of comfort when caring for PWA. [adapted from abstract]

The purpose of this study was to assess physicians’ knowledge, attitude and global comfort in caring for patients with AIDS (PWA), to determine the sociodemographic variables that could influence physicians’ attitude and global comfort, and to identify any relationship between their knowledge, attitude and comfort. [from summary]

The checklist is intended as a self-assessment tool for managers to use in gauging how well their facility (hospital, clinic, or department) reaches, serves, and treats HIV-positive patients. This gives managers an opportunity to identify institutional strengths and weaknesses, consider ways to address the weaknesses, and later to assess progress toward PLHA-friendliness. The Checklist is designed in a simple format that can be readily adapted for each unique context. [from introduction]

AIDS-related stigma and discrimination is a pervasive problem worldwide. People living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) in India, as elsewhere, face stigma and discrimination in a variety of contexts, including the household, community, workplace, and health care setting. Research in India has shown that stigma and discrimination against HIV-positive people and those perceived to be infected are common in hospitals and act as barriers to seeking and receiving critical treatment and care services (UNAIDS 2001). Recognizing the need to move beyond documentation of the problem, three New Delhi hospitals; SHARAN, an Indian NGO; and the Horizons Program, with support from the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), carried out an operations research project to develop and test responses to hospital-based stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS.

Hospital managers who used a checklist to assess their facilities’ policies and practices took action to improve staff safety and reduce AIDS-related stigma. Findings suggest that the actions taken, including education, training, policy formulation, and involvement of AIDS NGOs, contributed to improved knowledge, attitudes, and practices among health workers. UNAIDS has recognized the intervention as a best practice, and NACO has endorsed the intervention’s tools and approaches. [author’s description]

Discrimination against people living with HIV or AIDS results in poor quality of care for those who are infected or ill (or suspected of being infected), frightens away potential clients in need of care, and undermines effective HIV prevention efforts by limiting individuals’ access to and use of health care services. As HIV treatment programs become increasingly available in resource-poor countries, access to and use of these lifesaving services will depend on the degree to which health facilities welcome and respect the rights of HIV-positive clients. To address these serious issues, EngenderHealth has developed Reducing Stigma and Discrimination Related to HIV and AIDS: Training for Health Care Workers, a two-volume curriculum offering a unique training opportunity for health workers in countries hardest hit by the AIDS pandemic. The curriculum consists of a participant’s handbook and a trainer’s manual. [publisher’s description]

Using a representative sample of 478 doctors, nurses, and lab technicians working with people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), a cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the impact of the AIDS epidemic on medical care systems and service providers in China. The study findings suggest that improved institutional support for AIDS care at the facility level and HIV-related stigma reduction intervention are crucial to maintain a high quality performance by the workforce in the health care system. [from publisher’s description]

There is currently a scarcity of research on the nature of HIV/AIDS stigma within the Thai health context. This is problematic given the negative role of stigma in hindering the provision of patient care and treatment. This study used a mixed-method approach to investigate the interrelationships between the stigma of HIV/AIDS and the stigmas relating to its various modes of disease transmission including injection drug use. [from abstract]

This issue presents studies that focused on care and treatment of HIV/AIDS in India, Kenya and South Africa. “Reducing Stigma and Discrimination” dicusses an Indian study on improved attitudes and practices among hospital workers. The “Studies in Brief” section has information on supporting health workers such as HIV-related challenges at work and home for Kenyan health workers.

This toolkit was written for and by HIV trainers in Africa. It has been designed to help trainers plan and organise educational sessions with community leaders or organised groups to raise awareness and promote practical action to challenge HIV stigma and discrimination. [author’s description]

This paper reports on AIDS-related stigma baseline findings from a study to evaluate the impact of a stigma-reduction intervention in three large hospitals in New Delhi, India. The study highlights issues particular to the health care sector in limited-resource settings. [from abstract]