title: Providers' HIV-related avoidance attitude and patient satisfaction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This article explores the associations between medical care providers' attitudes towards patients living with HIV (PLH) and the service satisfaction reported from general patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected from 40 county-level hospitals in China, including 1760 service providers and 1000 patients receiving medical services from the hospitals. Provider and patient assessments were conducted by self-administered questionnaires and face-to-face interviews, respectively. Random-effect regression models were used to examine relationships between the providers' avoidance attitudes and patient satisfaction at the hospital level while taking into account variations in demographics and professional experience within each hospital.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Service providers' avoidance attitudes towards PLH were negatively associated with general patients' satisfaction with service providers at the hospital level. The relationship was strong and significant whether or not adjustments were made for background characteristics. Medical care providers' stigmatizing attitudes towards PLH could be a reflection of the providers' general outlook with all patients. This study underscores a broader focus for HIV-related stigma reduction interventions in medical settings at both individual and institutional levels, targeting attitudes towards both patients with HIV/AIDS and the general patient population.
authors.affiliation: Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Center for Community Health, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA. lili@mednet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: W Scott
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Comulada
authors.forename: Zunyou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yingying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Weiming
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult