KNOWLEDGE OF NURSES REGARDING HIV WORKING IN DISTRICT HEADQUARTERS HOSPITAL BAHAWAL NAGAR

Introduction: Holistic nursing care by skillful hands, vigilant mind and affectionate heart constitute the backbone of management plan in HIV/AIDS. The phobias and stigmas associated with handling of HIV/AIDS patients limits the quality of health care. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the degree of knowledge and understanding towards HIV/AIDS amongst nursing students.

Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 150 selected undergraduate students of College of Nursing, Nishtar Hospital Multan. Pre-test questionnaire was formulated and the responses were summed up against 10 objective items. Anonymity and privacy was maintained throughout the process.

Results: Almost half of the nursing students had good knowledge while almost a quintile numbers had incomplete knowledge about HIV/AIDS. Majority of them had negative attitude towards the care of HIV positive patients. Conclusions: In aggregate, nearly half of the respondents had good knowledge about the various aspects of HIV/AIDS; however, majority of them had negative attitude towards the care of PLWHA. The overall knowledge and attitude of senior class was better than their junior counterparts. The training programmes for nurses should aim at confidence and skill building to deal with HIV issues.

Key words: Knowledge, Attitude, HIV/AIDS, Nursing students