Date of Award

11-14-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MSc in Nursing

First Advisor

Dr. Tazeen Saeed Ali

Second Advisor

e, Mr Sarmad Soomar

Third Advisor

Ms. Nimira Asif

Department

School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: HIV/AIDS remains a modern-day global burden, death of almost 650,000 people, over 38 million living with the disease, and one and a half million new cases. The risk of infection in clinical practice among health workers has been noted to be high, compared to the general population. Studies on knowledge, attitudes, and practices among healthcare workers involved in HIV and AIDS care have often revealed a lack of knowledge about HIV and AIDS. Nurses’ knowledge may compromise the quality of care and attitudes towards patients living with HIV/AIDS.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward patients with HIV and AIDS in a tertiary care hospital, in Karachi, Pakistan.
Methods: A cross-sectional analytical design with a quantitative approach was employed. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 265 registered nurses. Data was collected using a structured pre-validated questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 26.0. A Pearson's chi-square analysis was performed at a cutoff value of 80%. Results were presented using charts and tables.
Results: Regarding clinical practices, 89.8% of nurses reported adherence to standard precautions when caring for HIV/AIDS patients. While 85.7% believed that routine screening for HIV is essential in clinical practice, only 40.0% had been screened themselves. The data showed significant associations between gender and clinical practices, with male nurses showing poorer v adherence (p = 0.026). Despite good practices among most nurses, misconceptions and inconsistent use of personal protective equipment during certain procedures suggest a need for targeted educational interventions to improve both knowledge and practice.
Conclusion: There are satisfactory knowledge, attitude, and clinical practices among registered nurses regarding HIV/AIDS in the study. Continuous in-service training of nurses on HIV and AIDS is crucial for enhancing knowledge, addressing misconceptions, fostering positive attitudes, and increasing adherence to universal precautions and other preventive measures. Further studies are needed to ascertain the role of knowledge and attitude in enhanced clinical practices against HIV/AIDS.

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