HIV/AIDS: occupational risk, attitude and behaviour of surgeons in southeast Nigeria.

Our objective was to evaluate the level of occupational risk, attitude and behaviour of surgeons towards HIV-infected patients. A questionnaire survey of 264 randomly selected surgeons in training or in practice in five different health institutions in southeast Nigeria within a five-month period was carried out. A 94% response rate was obtained with completed questionnaires from 264 surgeons. The respondents included obstetricians and gynaecologists (n = 78), general surgeons (n = 121), orthopaedic surgeons (n = 40), dental surgeons (n = 10), ophthalmologists (n = 6), urologists (n = 5), and ear, nose and throat surgeons (n = 4). Of them, 31% (n = 82) were qualified surgeons in practice, while the remaining 69% (n = 182) were resident surgeons in training. In the past five years, 40.2% (n = 106) and 26% (n = 70) of the respondents reported needle-stick injuries and blood splash, respectively, during surgery. The majority of the victims were resident surgeons, obstetricians and gynaecologists, and orthopaedic surgeons. Level of clinical experience and high patient blood loss are likely to contribute to this observation. In all, 89% (n = 236) were engaged in the risky practice of operating on patients with open wounds in their hand and the wounds were contaminated with blood in 5% of cases. During surgical procedures, all (100%) respondents wore protective apron, 65.2% (n = 172) wore double gloves and 30.3% (n = 80) used protective goggles. The use of double gloves and protective eye wear increased remarkably over the past decade, probably because the fear of occupational transmission of HIV was substantial. In total, 83% (n = 220) of the respondents had some reservations about treating patients infected with HIV, while 13.3% (n = 35) viewed them with fear. The remaining 3.4% (n = 9) had a more positive attitude towards HIV-infected patients. Further, 92% advocated preoperative screening, with special precaution during surgery, if the results are positive. In addition, 79.5% were of the view that infected patients should not be discriminated against in treatment, provided necessary protective materials are available. To ensure provision of these protective materials, 91% (n = 240) and 89.4% (n = 236) of the respondents favoured involvement of government and insurance agencies, respectively. In order to achieve a greater commitment from surgeons in developing countries towards caring for HIV-infected patients, there is a need for a comprehensive AIDS management package that would offer specific preventive and psychological training in care of HIV patients and provide requisite funds and resources.