Nurses' willingness to take care of people living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) - does a teaching intervention make a difference?

Abstract

The aim of this study is to describe the impact of an education intervention programme on nurses' willingness to care for HIV-positive people in Lithuania. Methods: The study utilizes a randomized controlled trial design (RCT). The total sample comprises 185 nurses working in medical, surgical and gynaecological units, and primary health care centres from the same hospital areas in three Lithuanian hospitals. The data were analyzed using SPSS 12.0 and descriptive statistics. Findings: Our educational intervention did not have an impact on the nurses' willingness to take care of people living with HIV (PLHIV), as their level of willingness was high already before the education intervention. Conclusions: Further research on this issue is needed to try to understand the forces acting on our nursing staff in order to ensure appropriate care for PLHIV. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.