150799 Assessments on HIV transmission risks in clinical situations by health care students from Congo, Germany, Lithuania, Namibia, and Spain

Monday, November 5, 2007

Joerg Klewer, MD PhD , Faculty of Public Health and Nursing Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Zwickau, Zwickau, Germany
Sabine Twork, MD PhD , Department of Health Sciences/Public Health, Dresden Medical School, Dresden, Germany
Laura Sasnauskaite, MD , Kaunas Medical University, Kaunas, Lithuania
Francisco Guillen-Grima, MD PhD , Dept. of Public Health, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
Joachim Kugler, MD PhD , Department of Health Sciences/Public Health, Dresden Medical School, Dresden, Germany
Helmut Lauschke, MD PhD , Dept. of Orthopedic Surgery, Oshakati Regional Hospital, Oshakati, Namibia
Introduction: To prevent occupational HIV infections in health professionals, comprehensive knowledge about HIV/AIDS is essential. Due to working close to infected patients, especially medical staff is endangered. Therefore, the study tried to investigate how health care students from countries with different HIV prevalences assess the risk of occupational HIV-infections. Methods: In this international multi-center-study, the assessments by medical students from Germany and Lithuania, and nursing students from Congo, Namibia, and Spain on the risk of acquiring HIV in different clinical situations were analyzed by using standardized anonymous questionnaires. Results: The assessments on the HIV-transmission risks differed between the student samples. In general, the percentages of students from Africa seeing a risk of HIV-infection were higher than in the German sample, e.g. in situations like placing an i.v. drip. Nevertheless, in using the same needle for various patients most of the Lithuanian and several German students underestimated the potential risk of HIV-transmission. Conclusions: The results indicate, that assessments on the risk of HIV transmission by health care students are differing. However, most of the students overestimated to potential risk of HIV-transmission. Education should consider this and focus more on HIV/AIDS related aspects. By this, patient care will improve and the infection risk for health care staff will be reduced.

Learning Objectives:
After the presentation the participants should be informed about the differences in assessments on HIV transmission risks in clinical situations between health care students from Congo, Germany, Lithuania, Namibia, and Spain. The participant should also know, that assessments on HIV transmission risks are related to the national HIV prevalence. Due to the increasing annual number of HIV infections, research on assessments on HIV transmission risks in clinical situations is essential. Data about international comparison of these assessments are rare. By presenting this topic on the APHA Meeting we would like to broaden the knowledge about research on assessments on HIV transmission risks in clinical situations. Primarily the finding, that assessments on HIV transmission risks, even in clinical situation with very unlikely HIV transmission risk are related to the national HIV prevalence, will be important for other public health experts who develop programs on HIV prevention. Additionally, these findings implicate changes in medical education, which is important for public health experts working on new curricula for medical and nursing schools.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Health Care Workers

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Critical HIV Care and Prevention Issues
See more of: HIV/AIDS