Awareness about HIV infection among the paramedical staff in a tertiary care hospital in Delhi, India

In India, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a growing epidemic involving all sections of the society. Health care personnel are at increased risk of acquiring blood borne diseases like AIDS, hepatitis, etc. We aimed to assess the level of awareness of HIV infection among the paramedical s...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nikhil Gupta, Binita Goswami, Bhawna Singh, Sandeep Ghosh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2012-01-01
Series:Clinics and Practice
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.clinicsandpractice.org/index.php/cp/article/view/357
Description
Summary:In India, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a growing epidemic involving all sections of the society. Health care personnel are at increased risk of acquiring blood borne diseases like AIDS, hepatitis, etc. We aimed to assess the level of awareness of HIV infection among the paramedical staff working in a tertiary care hospital. A total number of 207 paramedical staff were asked to complete a questionnaire covering the various aspects of HIV and AIDS which was then critically reviewed. We observed that 57.54% of the staff was aware of the different aspects of HIV infection. Our results highlighted that awareness regarding the different facets of HIV varied among the nurses, lab technicians and support staff. Transmission of blood borne infections through needle stick injury is a harsh reality involving health care personnel. There is an urgent need to teach basic knowledge about HIV infection among high-risk populations.
ISSN:2039-7275
2039-7283