Nurse's Perspective about Discrimination in Nursing Care of Patients with AIDS

Discriminatory practices toward patients with AIDS is an important challenge in the context of ethical care and patient's rights. Experience of discrimination has negative impacts on the psychological well being of patient's and all aspects of AIDS prevention, follow-up care and treatment. The aim of this study was to identify nurse’s perspective on discrimination in nursing care of patients with AIDS and its related factors. It was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study population consisted of nurses working in internal and infectious wards. The setting was hospitals affiliated with Tehran and Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. the sample was recruited by census and 165 nurses were selected. Data was collected using self administered questionnaires. The instruments used included: discrimination against AIDS questionnaire, HIV knowledge questionnaire, AIDS Attitude Scale and Risk Perception scale. Data was analyzed by SPSS-PC using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA and Pearson coefficient correlation. Response rate was 91.6 % of all study sample, 54.5% agreed with present moderately discriminatory practices toward these patients. Nurse’s perspective on discriminatory practices was significantly associated with their knowledge of AIDS transmission (p=0.005), avoidance attitudes toward people with AIDS (p=0.044), and fear of occupational exposure to AIDS (p=0.003).There was a significant difference between mean score of nurses perspective on discrimination with their sex (p=0.033), ward (0.036), and their educational level (p=0.048). It seems that patients with AIDS in Tehran hospitals are treated with discrimination. Reducing discriminatory practices toward these patients would be possible by increasing nurse’s knowledge about universal precautions, ethical issues and patient’s rights.