Knowledgeand Attitudes of Nurses Regarding HIV/AIDS (Tehran - 2010)

HIV/AIDS is an infectious disease and the fourth cause of death in the world and.Iran and other Middle East countries are suffering from it.Medical staff, particularly nurses are at risk for bloodborne pathogens especially human immunodeficiency virus.We aimed to investigate educational needs of nurses about HIV/ AIDS. In this cross-sectional study, 196 nurses of Imam Khomeini Clinical and Hospital Complexin Tehran were selected by simple random sampling method and completed self-administered two-part questionnaire, one dealing with demographic data and other inquiring knowledge and attitude of nurses about HIV/AIDS.The data was analyzed by SPSS version 16. Knowledge (66. 73%) and attitude (62.19%) of nurses regarding HIV/AIDS were good condition.There was no significant relationship between age, clinical experience and employment status with knowledge and attitude scores (p>0.05). There were significant relationship between history of nursing care of HIV patients and understanding ways of disease transmission (P=0.03).About knowledge acquisition methods 50.51% of subjects had gained through textbooks and retraining courses.87. 75% of nurses believed that HIV/AIDS patients should be supported, helped and treated.There was significant relationship between knowledge and attitude regarding HIV/AIDS (P=0.003). continuing educational programs regarding AIDS for at risk groups such as nurses is recommended to maintain the ideal level of knowledge for increasing awareness.