Awareness of HIV among health care workers in a tertiary care hospital of Jammu

Abstract

HIV/AIDS has emerged as the single most formidable challenge to public health and Health Care professionals. Apart from doctors and nurses, laboratory technicians and nursing orderlies are an important component of the health care delivery system and form a potential risk group for HIV/AIDS spread due to frequent and prolonged contact. In this group an adequate knowledge of the different aspects of the disease are of great importance, hence a cross-sectional study was carried out in a tertiary care hospital to assess the level of awareness of HIV/AIDS in health care workers. A pretested questionnaire was used as an investigating tool and distributed among the various respondents. The awareness regarding the infectious nature of the virus and methods of transmission was adequate though information regarding vertical transmission was a grey area in the respondents. Regarding the prevention of transmission of HIV in terms of practicing universal precautions was found to be in order of 88%, 84%, 84% and 74% among technicians, doctors, nurses and class IV workers. Availability of diagnostic tests for HIV infection was known mainly to doctors (92%) and less than 60% of other workers. Knowledge of respondents about the benefits of PEP (post exposure prophylaxis) and ART (anti retro viral therapy) was not satisfactory. Thus, sensitizing the hospital staff to the various aspects of disease through an active health education programme in the form of CME's, posters, group discussion is required for effective control of the disease.