Nurses' attitudes about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome care: what research tells us

With the mounting incidence of human immunodeficiency virus infection not projected to peak until a decade into the next century, the question of nurses' willingness to engage in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) care remains important. Published data, however, do not support the frequently cited view that positive attitudes are exceptional. This analysis suggests reasons for misperceptions and also cautions that a continued focus on attitudes may not be useful unless we validate their influence on nursing action in clinical situations. Researchers must ask not only what differentiates the willing from the unwilling but also what alters the extent of nurses' willingness to engage. Even more important may be what influences how nurses engage, that is, what knowledge and skills they need to provide compassionate, effective care. The salience of these questions is especially apparent when we recognize how consistent the finding of positive AIDS-care attitudes has been through the last decade's plethora of studies. Without overlooking negative attitudes about, and some nurses' reluctance to participate in, AIDS care, research at this time should perhaps start with the premise that nurses want to nurse, and then focus on what they need to learn--cognitively, affectively, and technically--to do so competently and comfortably. In other words, the essential question is: What do nurses need to learn?