Knowledge, attitude, and willingness of nursing students towards HIV/AIDS patient care: a descriptive study
Keywords:
HIV, patient, nursing students, knowledge, attitudeAbstract
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) exposure leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which gradually weakens and dysfunctions cell-mediated immunity. HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination can make it difficult for patients to get care and other rights, deterring infected people from using medical and social services. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the PCL nursing students' level of knowledge, attitude, and willingness about the treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS. At the Nepalgunj Nursing Campus of the TU IOM, Banke, a descriptive study of female PCL nursing students was undertaken. Out of 136 pupils, 54 responses were chosen using a straightforward random sample procedure. A self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to gather the data, and descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were used for analysis. According to the survey, 63% of respondents had strong understanding of HIV/AIDS patient care, whereas just 18.5% had inadequate knowledge. Furthermore, just 14.8% of respondents had a negative attitude regarding caring for HIV/AIDS patients, compared to 85.2% who did. 88.9% of respondents said they would be willing to care for people with HIV/AIDS. Similar to this, 96.3% of participants agreed to take on the duty of caring for HIV/AIDS patients, and 63% of respondents said they would continue to do so even after coming into contact with bodily fluids containing the virus. According to the study, PCL nursing students are knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS patient care and have a helpful attitude about it. This result is positive for enhancing patient care and lowering stigma and prejudice against people. However, more efforts are required to increase knowledge and awareness about HIV/AIDS among nursing students to provide quality care for patients.
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