AIDS: Knowledge, Attitudes and Infection Control Practices of Ghanaian Professional and Trainee Nurses

Abstract

This descriptive, cross-sectional study seeks to determine knowledge about AIDS, attitudes towards AIDS'/HIV-infected persons and infection control practices of Ghanaian professional and trainee nurses. The study had as its survey instrument a pretested, standardized and self-administered questionnaire. The accessible (study) population (323) included avail-able and willing professional and trainee nurses from Hospitals and Nurses Training Schools in Ghana's three (Accra, Cape Coast and Kumasi) University cities. Using descriptive statistics, it was found that the nurses had a good knowledge about AIDS (> 90%) but that this knowledge did not seem to have alone influenced behavior (r = 0.46) nor did it appreciably affect their attitudes towards HIV-infected/AIDS patients (r = 0.35). Infection control practices were also found to be influenced by a variety of factors including logistics. It is concluded that Ghana's AIDS education campaign succeeded in imparting the necessary knowledge about AIDS to the target population but failed to influence their behavior and attitudes towards AIDS/ HIV-infected persons and that a combination of other factors working in concert with knowledge seemed to be necessary for positive attitudinal change. Future studies should identify these factors and incorporate them in the educational strategies for AIDS control and prevention in Ghana.