Open AccessKnowledge, Attitudes and Practices Related to HIV Stigma and Discrimination Among Healthcare Workers in Oman
Author(s) -
Samir Shah,
Ali Elgalib,
Adil Al Wahaibi,
Maha Al-Fori,
Prasanrayanan Raju,
Mahmood Al-Skaiti,
Huda N. Al-Mashani,
Kishor Duthade,
Iyad Omaar,
Muhammad Muqeetullah,
Nilanjan Mitra,
Parag S. Shah,
Mohammed Amin,
Essam Morkos,
Vidyanand Vaidya,
Zeyana Al-Habsi,
Idris Al-Abaidani,
Seif Al-Abri
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
sultan qaboos university medical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.258
H-Index - 27
eISSN - 2075-0528
pISSN - 2075-051X
DOI - 10.18295/squmj.2020.20.01.005
Subject(s) - medicine , confidence interval , stigma (botany) , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , health care , family medicine , cross sectional study , demography , psychiatry , pathology , sociology , economics , economic growth
Objectives: Stigma and discrimination undermine the quality of life of people with HIV and their access to health services. This study aimed to assess HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and practices among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Oman. Methods: This cross-sectional study took place between July and November 2016. A questionnaire was distributed to 1,400 government HCWs to determine HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and practices. Results: A total of 1,281 HCWs participated (response rate = 92%). Routine tasks, such as dressing wounds, drawing blood and touching clothes, were a cause of concern for 24–52% of HCWs. Only 69% correctly answered questions regarding the transmission of HIV via eating/drinking and mosquito bites. Compared to other HCWs, doctors had significantly higher knowledge (mean = 0.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.19 to 0.73; P 15 years’ work experience scored significantly higher on knowledge (mean = −0.60, 95% CI: −1.12 to −0.08; P = 0.025) and attitude (mean = −0.99, 95% CI: −1.87 to −0.10; P = 0.029) compared to those with less experience. Conclusion: The high rate of HIV-related stigma among HCWs in Oman should be rectified in order to achieve the 90-90-90 target set by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.Keywords: HIV; Social Stigma; Social Discrimination; Knowledge; Attitude; Professional Practice; Healthcare Providers; Oman.