Abstract
Objective: Treatments for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have advanced considerably and people living with HIV have longer life expectancies, yet many continue to experience stigma and discrimination. Our research examines HIV-related knowledge and attitudes in aged residential care (ARC) staff.
Methods: Aged Residential Care facilities in one urban area in New Zealand were involved in (1) a staff survey, and (2) qualitative interviews with nurse managers. Survey questions included the HIV-K18 knowledge questionnaire scaled from 0 (low) to 13 (high), 30-item Health Care Provider Stigma Scale from 30 (low) to 180 (high), worry about HIV scaled from 4 (low) to 16 (high), and demographic characteristics. Analysis used multiple imputation and regression models accounting for clustering within facilities. Thematic analysis was employed for qualitative interviews.
Results: Eleven of 26 eligible facilities participated and 184 staff completed the survey. The mean knowledge score was 7.6 (SD 2.6), stigma 82.2 (SD 29.3), and worry 7.6 (SD 3.0). In adjusted analysis, higher education and experience caring for someone with HIV were favourably associated with higher HIV knowledge, which was in turn associated with a lower stigma score, which was in turn associated with less worry about HIV. Five nurse managers were interviewed. Most expressed hesitation in caring for someone with HIV; however, overriding this was acknowledgement of the importance of delivering good holistic care in a respectful manner.
Conclusions: Ongoing professional development for ARC staff about HIV and increased collaboration between the HIV and ARC sectors at the organisational level could increase their HIV knowledge and improve their care for residents with HIV.