Attitude of paramedic technicians from hospital of the Metropolitan Region toward VIH/AIDS patients

Abstract

This is a quantitative and transversal study which seeks to find out the attitude, understood as knowledge, feelings about and conduct toward HIV/AIDS patients shown by paramedic technicians.

The sample consists of 77 paramedic technicians working in the medical and emergency servicesof a hospital in the Metropolitan Region. For the propose of obtaining the information, the autoapplied  scale of V. Stuart and A. Castellano was used, validated with a Crombach alpha index of 0. 74 by the Nursing School of the Pontificial Catholic University of Chile. The results of the study show that 85% of the paramedic technicians are women, and that 65% are between 30 and 45 years old. With respect to the affective component of the attitude, the study shows that 35.1% of those interviewed had indifferent feelings, and 55.8% had negative feelings toward HIV/AIDS patients. As far as the level of knowledge is concerned, only 47.9% is adequately informed, and 50.6% shows an indifferent attitude. The indifferent attitude presents a great challenge to health teams, not only from the technical, but also from the ethical point of view and the quality of health care being attempted to be provided to HIV/AIDS patients. As Eisenberg states, it is very difficult to change negative attitudes, nevertheless, it is possible to modify those that are indifferent, a purpose for which one requires not only information, but also the capacity of forming technical paramedics and the health team in general in specific abilities which will allow them to face their own difficulties with some patients more adequately, and to improve the attention they offer by viewing it from a more humane perspective.