ATTITUDES OF NURSES CARING FOR HIV AIDS PATIENTS/

Background. HIV/AIDS remains in epidemic proportions worldwide. The in cidence of HIV/AIDS among infants, children, adolescents, and women ha s risen rapidly, and nurses cannot avoid HIV/AIDS patients. Because HI V/AIDS is associated with certain risk groups that have historically b een subjects of discrimination, it has a stigma which contributes to t he attitudes developed by nurses. Methods. To examine the attitudes of nurses in a southern community hospital, an AIDS Attitude Scale (AAS) survey was administered to all registered nurses (RNs) in staff posit ions. The AAS, a six-point Likert scale, examines avoidance and empath y attitudes. The survey was voluntary and anonymous. Results. Sixty-ei ght percent (n = 175) of RNs responded to the survey. The overall mean score for avoidance was 2.37 and for empathy was 5.19. Conclusions. T he general score of 2.82 indicated an overall empathetic attitude towa rd HIV/AIDS patients.