ATTITUDE OF HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS TOWARDS VOLUNTARY COUNSELING AND TESTING FOR HIV/AIDS

Introduction: HIV counseling and testing are regarded as a vital preliminary interventional step aimed at reducing the spread of HIV infection. Therefore, the present study was designed to determine the attitude of health care professionals towards voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) for HIV/AIDS at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital. Materials & Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional prospective study, a self –administered structured questionnaire was used, which contained sections on bio-social variables aimed at fulfilling the objectives of the study. The study participants consisted of medical doctors, nurses, medical laboratory scientists, radiographers, social workers and pharmacists.The data were collated, inputted into a computer and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software(ver, 22). Descriptive variables were summarized using percentages and proportions for the categorical variables. Moreover, bivariate analysis was performed to test the association between categorical variables using the chi square test and p value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Multiple logistic regressions were performed to identify the predictive variables appropriate for the association between socio-demographic and willingness to go for screening. Results: In the present study, questionnaires were administered and statistically analyzed. The study participants consisted of workers who were mostly females (55%) aged 21-30 years. Regarding the bio-social variables (47.8% of the participants were married, 52.5% were Christians, 96.2% were medical doctors, and 49.2% were of Esan extraction. The participants' marital status and occupation significantly influenced their attitude towards voluntary counseling and testing for HIV/AID. A good percentage of the respondents revealed a right attitude towards VCT of HIV/AIDS. Conclusion: This study finding revealed that a good percentage of the respondents had a right attitude towards VCT of HIV/AIDS, while a lesser proportion was reported to have a negative attitude.