NURSES’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS CO-WORKERS INFECTED WITH HIV OR HEPATITIS B OR C IN VIETNAM

Stigma and discrimination experienced by nurses infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), or hepatitis C virus (HCV) potentially undermine their positions. The aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with nurses’ attitudes towards accepting co-workers with HIV, HBV, or HCV. The study design was descriptive and cross-sectional. Four hundred Vietnamese nurses participated in this study using stratified random sampling at two public hospitals in Hanoi, Vietnam. A self-administrated questionnaire was used to obtain data. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression was performed to analyze data. Nine percent of nurses had experienced a needle-stick or sharps injury (NSI) from a patient infected with HIV, and 15.8% of respondents reported having a previous NSI from a patient infected with HBV or HCV. Some nurses reported that they could not accept contact between patients and nurses infected with HIV (25.2%) and HBV or HCV (12.7%). Older age and a belief that colleagues should disclose their infection status were associated with positive attitudes towards HIV-, HBV-, or HCV-positive colleagues. Fear of transmission was associated with negative attitudes towards HIV-positive co-workers. Infected employees disclosure of their status may help their colleagues to be more accepting by providing appropriate workplace adjustments for infected employees. HIV is generally a more stigmatized infection, and therefore attitudes towards HIV-positive co-workers might be affected by fear of transmission. Providing education to recognize infectious risk may be effective in improving nurses’ attitudes in Vietnam, as elsewhere.