Knowledge about AIDS and attitudes towards persons with AIDS: Implications for occupational therapy.
Persons with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are frequent users of healthcare services, and their care presents a critical challenge to the healthcare profession. With an estimated one million persons in the United States believed to be infected, occupational therapy practitioners will see increasing numbers of referrals to provide services to persons with AIDS. Like other healthcare professionals, occupational therapy practitioners have expressed inaccurate knowledge about AIDS and negative attitudes towards persons with AIDS, both affecting the therapeutic relationship, and possibly leading to suboptimal clinical care. This paper summarizes research that measures healthcare professionals' knowledge and attitudes about AIDS. It also explores the effectiveness of educational programs aimed at increasing knowledge about AIDS and modifying attitudes towards persons with AIDS. Further research is proposed in the occupational therapy field to assist in the development of educational programs addressing these important AIDS issues.
Boston University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Education; Ethics; Healthcare; Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)