HIV TEST COUNSELING AT A TERTIARY HOSPITAL

A questionnaire was distributed to 64 of the 78 interns working at a t eaching hospital in Cape Town in August 1992 to examine their attitude s and practice in respect of HIV test counselling. The questionnaire w as completed by 61 interns. Thirteen per cent of those who responded c ounselled all patients, 49% counselled some patients and 38% counselle d no patients. Thirty-four per cent stated that they felt that pre-tes t counselling was always necessary and 57% that post-test counselling was always necessary. The most frequently stated reasons for not couns elling patients were language barriers, time constraints, feelings of incompetence on the part of the intern and the fact that the patient w as too ill. It is recommended that standard counselling procedures be established in each ward and formal under- and postgraduate counsellin g training for medical students and interns be instituted.