Willingness to Know about Human Immunodeficiency Virus Status in Healthcare Personnel and General Public at a Tertiary Healthcare Centre, North Bangalore, India: A Cross-sectional Study
Introduction: India is a country with a high Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence rate. To accomplish the target of UNAIDS 95-95-95 by 2030, individuals should know their HIV status to achieve the first 95, which means 95% of Persons Living With HIV (PLWH) worldwide should know their d...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
JCDR Research and Publications Private Limited
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.jcdr.net/articles/PDF/18714/66666_CE[Ra1]_F(IS)_QC(SHE_RDW_IS)_PF1(AG_SHU)_PFA(AG_KM)_PN(KM).pdf |
| Summary: | Introduction: India is a country with a high Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence rate. To accomplish
the target of UNAIDS 95-95-95 by 2030, individuals should
know their HIV status to achieve the first 95, which means 95%
of Persons Living With HIV (PLWH) worldwide should know their
diagnosis, for which testing is a must.
Aim: To know the willingness for HIV infection testing among
Healthcare Personnel (HCP) and the General Public (GP).
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted
at Sapthagiri Institute of Medical Science & Research Centre,
North Bangalore, Karnataka, India between June 2019 and
September 2019. Convenient sampling was done which included
200 subjects (100 HCP and 100 GP). Demographic data such
as name, age, sex, address, education status, occupation, and
habits were collected, followed by knowing their willingness to
get tested for HIV along with the barriers for not being willing
to undergo the HIV test. Tests were performed following the
standard National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) guidelines
for those subjects who were willing to know their HIV status. The
statistical analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for
the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0, and the results were
expressed in the form of frequency or percentage.
Results: Among the 200 subjects who consented to participate
in this study, only 39 HCPs (39%) and two GPs (2%) were willing
to get tested in order to know their HIV status. Among the 41
individuals who got tested according to NACO guidelines, none
tested positive for HIV. The barriers for not being willing to know
their HIV status among the 61 HCPs were “it’s not a necessary
test” 56 (91.8%), and the remaining 5 (8.2%) stated that the test
was not necessary after 50 years of age. Among the 98 GPs, the
barriers were “no symptoms or health problems” as cited by 35
(35.8%), followed by “will get tested only on doctor’s advice” 27
(27.6%), and other factors.
Conclusion: In this study, the willingness to know their HIV status
was found to be very low, especially among GPs, and less than
50% among HCPs. The barriers for not being willing to know
their HIV status raise concerns for policymakers to reformulate
policies in order to achieve the United Nations Programme on
HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) target of 95-95-95 by 2030. |
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| ISSN: | 2249-782X 0973-709X |