Samir Shah 1 , Ali Elgalib 1 , Adil Al-Wahaibi 2 , Maha Al-Fori 1 , Prasanna Raju 1 , Mahmood Al-Skaiti 3 , Huda N Al-Mashani 3 , Kishor Duthade 3 , Iyad Omaar 3 , Muhammad Muqeetullah 3 , Nilanjan Mitra 3 , Parag Shah 3 , Mohammed Amin 3 , Essam Morkos 3 , Vidyanand Vaidya 3 , Zeyana Al-Habsi 1 , Idris Al-Abaidani 1 , Seif S Al-Abri 2 Show Affiliations »
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Stigma and discrimination undermine the quality of life of people with HIV and their access to health services. This study aimed to assess HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and practices among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Oman. METHODS: This cross-sectional study took place between July and November 2016. A questionnaire was distributed to 1,400 government HCWs to determine HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and practices. RESULTS: A total of 1,281 HCWs participated (response rate = 92%). Routine tasks, such as dressing wounds, drawing blood and touching clothes, were a cause of concern for 24-52% of HCWs. Only 69% correctly answered questions regarding the transmission of HIV via eating/drinking and mosquito bites. Compared to other HCWs, doctors had significantly higher knowledge (mean = 0.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.19 to 0.73; P <0.001), attitude (mean = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.31 to 1.24; P = 0.001) and practice (mean = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.59 to 2.55; P <0.001) scores. Expatriates also scored significantly higher in knowledge (mean = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.93 to 1.23; P <0.001), attitude (mean = 1.23, 95% CI: 0.98 to 1.48; P <0.001) and practice (mean = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.82 to 1.34; P <0.001) compared to Omani nationals. Finally, those with >15 years' work experience scored significantly higher on knowledge (mean = -0.60, 95% CI: -1.12 to -0.08; P = 0.025) and attitude (mean = -0.99, 95% CI: -1.87 to -0.10; P = 0.029) compared to those with less experience. CONCLUSION: The high rate of HIV-related stigma among HCWs in Oman should be rectified in order to achieve the 90-90-90 target set by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. © Copyright 2020, Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, All Rights Reserved.
OBJECTIVES: Stigma and discrimination undermine the quality of life of people with HIV and their access to health services. This study aimed to assess HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and practices among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Oman. METHODS: This cross-sectional study took place between July and November 2016. A questionnaire was distributed to 1,400 government HCWs to determine HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and practices. RESULTS: A total of 1,281 HCWs participated (response rate = 92%). Routine tasks, such as dressing wounds, drawing blood and touching clothes, were a cause of concern for 24-52% of HCWs. Only 69% correctly answered questions regarding the transmission of HIV via eating/drinking and mosquito bites. Compared to other HCWs, doctors had significantly higher knowledge (mean = 0.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.19 to 0.73; P <0.001), attitude (mean = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.31 to 1.24; P = 0.001) and practice (mean = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.59 to 2.55; P <0.001) scores. Expatriates also scored significantly higher in knowledge (mean = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.93 to 1.23; P <0.001), attitude (mean = 1.23, 95% CI: 0.98 to 1.48; P <0.001) and practice (mean = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.82 to 1.34; P <0.001) compared to Omani nationals. Finally, those with >15 years' work experience scored significantly higher on knowledge (mean = -0.60, 95% CI: -1.12 to -0.08; P = 0.025) and attitude (mean = -0.99, 95% CI: -1.87 to -0.10; P = 0.029) compared to those with less experience. CONCLUSION: The high rate of HIV-related stigma among HCWs in Oman should be rectified in order to achieve the 90-90-90 target set by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. © Copyright 2020, Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, All Rights Reserved.
Entities: Chemical
Keywords:
Attitude; HIV; Healthcare Providers; Knowledge; Oman; Professional Practice; Social Discrimination; Social Stigma
Mesh： See more »
Year: 2020
PMID： 32190367 PMCID： PMC7065692 DOI： 10.18295/squmj.2020.20.01.005
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J ISSN： 2075-051X