DO PHYSICIANS DISCUSS HIV AND AIDS WITH PATIENTS - A SURVEY OF PHYSICIAN PRACTICES

HIV and AIDS continue to be major concerns to the health care communit y and the world around them. Preventive efforts and education have bee n the focus of the fight against AIDS thus far. By the year 2000, 75% of physicians are expected to conduct risk-reduction counseling for pa tients regularly Previous studies show that a smaller percentage ''rou tinely'' follow this recommendation. The purpose of our study was to a ssess with what percentage of patients physicians discuss several HIV/ AIDS-related topics, what percentage of their patients are considered at risk for infection, and how comfortable the physicians are with the ir knowledge level and discussing the subject matter. We sent surveys to the last five graduating classes from St. Louis University School o f Medicine and to 169 physician preceptors in the community. The surve y asked about patients considered at risk, physician comfort level wit h HIV/AIDS, the percentage of patients they discuss various HIV/AIDS t opics with, and his or her preparedness for these discussions. Total r esponses were 464 (53.7%) representing all areas of medicine. Most of the physicians (72.9%) consider 0-25% of their patients at risk for HI V/AIDS. Eighty-one percent claim they are moderately or very comfortab le discussing the material with patients and more than 90% feel they h ave at least adequate knowledge. Most of the respondents discuss the H IV/AIDS topics with 0-25% of patients. Recent medical school graduates and primary care physicians are more comfortable with HIV/AIDS and di scuss the surveyed topics with a higher percentage of patients.