Stigma and discrimination within the Ethiopian health care settings: Views of inpatients living with human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Stigma and discrimination attached to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) have been recognised as a major obstacle to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support throughout the world. Stigma and discrimination are more devastating when they occur in health care settings where it is least expected. AIM: To explore the factors attributable to stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV in two Ethiopian rural hospitals on what they thought of health care professionals (HCPs) attending to them. METHODS: A qualitative exploratory approach was used. Data collection was by means of audio-taped interview and Tesch's content analysis approach was used. The sample size for this study was determined by saturation of data and consisted of 16 participants who were people living with HIV admitted as inpatients to the two selected hospitals in Amhara region of Ethiopia. RESULTS: Participants' views were grouped into: fear of contact, delay of services, substandard services, denial of care, impoliteness of health care providers, breach of confidentiality and poor patient follow-up for persons infected with HIV. CONCLUSION: The health care settings have been recognised as one of the contexts where HIV and AIDS-related stigmatisation and discrimination can occur. Hospital policies and institutional support should be tailored to embrace people living with HIV as the provision of institutional support is imperative in creating a good working environment and improving the commitment of HCPs so as to enable them to provide holistic care for people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) without discrimination.

HIV and AIDS-related stigma and discrimination in two referral hospitals in Ethiopia.

The aim of the study was to determine the magnitude of HIV and AIDS-related stigma and discrimination (SAD) and its associated factors in healthcare settings. Primary data were collected from June to September 2014 from two referral hospitals located in north-west Ethiopia. The study used pre-test/post-test design with a non-equivalent control group using a quantitative approach. Healthcare professionals were divided into strata and then, using the stratified random sampling technique, the study participants were selected from each stratum. The median age of study respondents in the treatment group was 32.2 years with standard deviation (SD) of 7.74. The regressions of stigma for the pre-tests of the first hospital and second hospital participants' knowledge about SAD-related issues and perceived risk of HIV infection were found to be significantly associated with stigma in the first hospital. In the first hospital, healthcare professionals who felt HIV risk of infection at different contact points with HIV-positive patients were more than 13 times more likely to present stigmatising attitudes towards the patients (OR = 13.46, p = 0.005). In the second hospital, only perceived risk of infection was significantly associated with stigma (p = 0.036). Interventions to lessen HIV and AIDS-related SAD in healthcare settings must focus on improving the knowledge, attitudes and practices of healthcare professionals as well as overcoming the institutional barriers existing in the healthcare settings through staff training and hospital strategy development.

HIV and AIDS-related stigma and discrimination in two referral hospitals in Ethiopia

The aim of the study was to determine the magnitude of HIV and AIDS-related stigma and discrimination (SAD) and its associated factors in healthcare settings. Primary data were collected from June to September 2014 from two referral hospitals located in north-west Ethiopia. The study used pre-test/post-test design with a non-equivalent control group using a quantitative approach. Healthcare professionals were divided into strata and then, using the stratified random sampling technique, the study participants were selected from each stratum. The median age of study respondents in the treatment group was 32.2 years with standard deviation (SD) of 7.74. The regressions of stigma for the pre-tests of the first hospital and second hospital participants' knowledge about SAD-related issues and perceived risk of HIV infection were found to be significantly associated with stigma in the first hospital. In the first hospital, healthcare professionals who felt HIV risk of infection at different contact points with HIV-positive patients were more than 13 times more likely to present stigmatising attitudes towards the patients (OR = 13.46, p = 0.005). In the second hospital, only perceived risk of infection was significantly associated with stigma (p = 0.036). Interventions to lessen HIV and AIDS-related SAD in healthcare settings must focus on improving the knowledge, attitudes and practices of healthcare professionals as well as overcoming the institutional barriers existing in the healthcare settings through staff training and hospital strategy development