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Occupational Medicine Advance Access published online on April 20, 2006
Occupational Medicine, doi:10.1093/occmed/kql019
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Short Report

Risk perception and attitudes towards HIV in Serbian health care workers

Aleksandra Jovic-Vranes 1 *, Slavenka Jankovic 1, Dejana Vukovic 1, Boris Vranes 2, and Dragan Miljus 3

1 Medical School of the University of Belgrade, Institute of Social Medicine, Dr Subotica 8, Belgrade 11000, Serbia
2 Royal Hospital for Women, Gynaecological Cancer Centre, Barker Street, Randwick, NSW, Australia
3 Institute of Public Health of Serbia, Dr Subotica 5, 11000 Beograd, Serbia and Montenegro

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Aleksandra Jovic-Vranes, E-mail: aljvranes{at}yahoo.co.uk


  Abstract

Background Health care workers (HCWs) are at risk of occupational exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Aim To investigate the perception of professional risk from, and the knowledge, attitudes and practice of HCWs to HIV and AIDS in Serbia.

Methods Cross-sectional study of 1559 Serbian HCWs using self-administered anonymous questionnaires. Chi-square testing and multiple logistic regression analysis were applied.

Results Eighty-nine per cent of HCWs believed that they were at risk of acquiring HIV through occupational exposure. The perception of professional risk was higher among HCWs frequently exposed to patients' blood and body fluids (OR 7.9, 95% CI 4.4-14.5), who used additional personal protection if the HIV status of patient was known (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.5-4.6), who had experienced sharp injuries within the last year (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.0-3.8) or who had been tested for HIV (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2-3.5), and among HCWs who had treated HIV-positive patients (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.8). The majority of respondents had deficient knowledge about modes of HIV transmission. Attitudes towards HIV-positive patients were significantly different by occupation. Seventy per cent of HCWs used appropriate protection during their daily work with patients.

Conclusions HCWs require specific educational programmes and training protocols to ensure that they are adequately protected when carrying out high quality care.

Keywords: Attitude; health care workers; HIV infection; knowledge; practice; professional risk; Serbia.
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