 |
Research Article
Knowledge, attitudes, and practices among healthcare providers regarding HIV/AIDS in Anguilla
1 Medical student, Saint James School of Medicine, Park Ridge, Illinois, United States of America
2 NPH, Medical student, Saint James School of Medicine, Park Ridge, Illinois, United States of America
3 St. James School of Medicine, Louisiana State University, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
4 Department of Research and RHM, Walden University, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
Address correspondence to:
Jennie An
3434 N Elston Avenue, Apt 101, Chicago, IL 60618,
United States of America
Message to Corresponding Author
Article ID: 100030P16JA2024
Access full text article on other devices
Access PDF of article on other devices
How to cite this article
An J, Ngandu J, Rader H, Villatoro A. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices among healthcare providers regarding HIV/AIDS in Anguilla. Edorium J Public Health 2024;10(1):1–14.ABSTRACT
Aims: Although a copious amount of research has been done highlighting the attitudes and practices associated with people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) among healthcare providers in the United States, little to no research has been done regarding in Anguilla. This research was conducted in an effort to explore stigma across healthcare providers, which included doctors and nurses, toward HIV/AIDS patients in Anguilla.
Methods: We estimated the prevalence of these attitudes among 19 healthcare personnel comprising of physicians and nurses. A survey was done to asses different parameters of discrimination.
Results: Prejudices or discrimination toward PLWHA are compounded with other societal prejudices in regard to socioeconomic status, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. In addition, patient care has been affected by perceived danger to the healthcare worker (HCW) when coming in physical contact with a PLWHA in situations such as placing an intravenous (IV) or drawing blood. Our results indicated positive findings that suggested discrimination.
Conclusion: Moreover, this study aimed to set the stage for further research and formation of policies and procedures promoting de-stigmatization and improved level of care for PLWHA in Anguilla and the Caribbean.
Keywords: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), Anguilla, Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Patient care, Stigma
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge the guidance and mentorship provided by Dr. Aisha Andrewin, who, among other things, generously allowed us to use the survey she created for a similar study in Belize. We deeply appreciate the participation of medical directors with distribution of the electronic surveys and all HCWs who participated in the survey. We would also like to acknowledge the Ministry of Health & Social Development in Anguilla for their partnership with this project. We thank all Saint James School of Medicine faculty, specifically Dr. Aisha Andrewin, for guidance in conducting this research.
Author ContributionsJennie An - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Jennifer Ngandu - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Hannah Rader - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Amanda Villatoro - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Guaranter of SubmissionThe corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Source of SupportNone
Consent StatementWritten informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this article.
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Conflict of InterestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.
Copyright© 2024 Jennie An et al. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
