Pustaka Ilmiah Universitas Padjadjaran

Abstrak

Attitudes Of University Nursing Students Toward Caring For HIV/AIDS Patients

Background. Nursing students as candidate of professional nurses is possible to expose in caring for HIV/AID patients. Caring behavior that the nurses perform while taking care for patients is depending on, or, influenced by their attitudes which is particularly formed during education period. Methods. This study aims to identify the attitudes of university nursing students toward caring for HIV/AIDS patients. Descriptive analytical study was selected as a design of the study. Eighty-one nursing students were recruited from a State University in Indonesia to participate in this study using “proportional stratified random sampling. Results of the study showed that more than a half of respondents (52%) had ‘favorable’ attitudes toward risk factor of HIV/AIDS. Contrary, more than a half of respondents showed ‘unfavorable’ attitudes toward prevention, caring, and policy of government to control HIV/AIDS. Nevertheless, overall, the attitudes of nursing students toward caring for HIV/AIDS patients was ‘favorable’. There was no significant differences the attitudes of nursing students toward HIV/AIDS with regard to ages group (p= .161), gender (p= .513), religion (p= .548), year level of study (p= .113), and ethnicity (p= .333). Conclusion. The results of the study implied that the positive attitudes of nursing students should be formed since in the professional education level. Provide nursing students with deep information about prevention, caring, and control strategy for HIV/AIDS was important to influence forming favorable attitudes toward caring HIV/AIDS patients. The knowledge related HIV/AIDS might be integrated systematically in course materials as well as in students union activities.