Knowledge, attitudes, and practices among physicians on HIV/AIDS in Quang Ninh, Vietnam

Health care providers in Vietnam have been facing an increase in the number of HIV patients. However, little is known about physicians' knowledge, attitudes, and practices about HIV/AIDS and their correlates. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2003 with 151 physicians who had some contact with HIV-infected people. Anonymous data was collected by physicians' self-administration of the questionnaires. SAS version 8 (SAS, Cary, NC) was used for all descriptive and multivariate statistical analyses. We found that there were misconceptions on some transmission modes: 39.9% thought that good nutrition could protect from HIV/AIDS infection; 12.1% thought sharing the toilet with people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) could transmit HIV infection. Only 41.6% of physicians knew that there was more than one type of HIV. Younger physicians or those with high patient volumes tended to be better informed. The one third of participants who reported positive attitudes regarding their interaction with HIV/AIDS patients were less likely to support mandatory testing or to exclude HIV/AIDS patients from their practices. Older physicians were more likely to have positive attitudes than the younger physicians. Approximately one fourth of the physicians prescribed antiretroviral medications but misuse was common. Among those prescribing antiretroviral medications, physicians working at provincial health care services were 3.1 times more likely to use antiretroviral medications than physicians working in district and commune health care services. In conclusion, even though Vietnamese physicians are providing health care for HIV/AIDS patients, the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding HIV/AIDS treatment suggest that further training is needed to improve their ability to deliver appropriate treatment to HIV/AIDS patients.