title: Intention of residents in internal medicine to care for patients infected with HIV at a university hospital in Taiwan.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate internal medicine residents' HIV-related knowledge and their attitudes towards caring for HIV-infected patients, and determine the extent to which these variables influence their care-providing intention. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 56 internal medicine residents at a university hospital in Taiwan. Results showed residents' lack of sufficient knowledge was reflected by their inaccurate assessment of HIV-associated risk and their tendency to overuse protective gear in unnecessary situations. In general, residents expressed slightly positive attitudes with a neutral intention to care for HIV-infected patients. Knowledge and attitudes were significantly correlated with intention. The use of stepwise regression analysis revealed attitudes accounted for 59% of the variance in intention. Future efforts should focus on designing, implementing, and evaluating educational programmes that address residents' needs to ensure a solid HIV-related knowledge base, support their positive attitudes, address their ambivalent feelings toward providing HIV care, and enhance their intention to care for HIV-infected patients.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, National Taiwan University, 1 Section 1, Jen-Ai Road, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Hsiung
authors.forename: Y F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: M Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004521:Educational Measurement; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy* / Q000635:transmission; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine; D007396:Internship and Residency; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan