An assessment of entering freshman medical students' knowledge of and attitudes toward AIDS

The purpose of this survey was to determine entering freshman medical student awareness of and attitudes toward AIDS. It is encouraging to find that, in general, students are well informed about AIDS before entering medical school; they have very real concerns about the possibility of contracting AIDS themselves as future care givers; and that they, in the final analysis, will consent to function as care givers to patients who have or may have AIDS while assuming responsibility to take appropriate precautions. It is important to stress that this survey reflects the pre-formed attitudes of entering freshman medical students. The University of Maryland School of Medicine is actively involved with the integration of AIDS education officially into the medical school curriculum. The results of this survey highlight the need for the inclusion of learning experiences designed to enhance physician/patient interaction skills when administering care to AIDS patients. It is believed that the acquisition of these desirable skills will generalize to better quality care for all patients. It is planned to administer the HIV/AIDS Questionnaire in a follow-up study to graduating seniors to assess their knowledge and attitudes toward AIDS. This will permit a comparison of attitude change among medical students, and an evaluation of newly implemented curricular changes.