Aids Attitudes Among Pharmacy Students Health And Social Care Essay

Ever since the first instance of HIV was recognized in 1981, HIV has spread across the continents to acknowledge itself as the most ambitious disease to command. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is described as ‘pandemic ‘ of twenty-first century and Fiji island has non been able to salvage itself from it. As of February 2009, there were 294 confirmed instances of HIV positive patients but no study of how many developed into AIDS was provided. Compared to international figure of instances, Fiji was ranked 137 with prevalence of 0.1 %.

In Fiji, AIDS represents a status which will take to decease and can be easy be transmitted. Despite wellness publicity and consciousness by Ministry of wellness (Fiji), public position AIDS with a degratory attitude which non merely affects peoples perceptual experience, but besides patients undergoing HIV intervention. Health attention professionals play a critical function in direction of AIDS patient and understanding their attitude towards AIDS patient is of major concern. Pharmacist being the supplier of pharmaceutical attention, it must be presumed that attitude of a druggist should be of no prejudice or bias as they are supplying attention to a patient. Although druggists in retail and public sector trade with HIV patients on day-to-day footing, there is deficiency of literature quantifying attitude of druggist or pharmaceutics pupils towards AIDS.

Therefore, purpose of this research is to analyze attitude towards AIDS among pharmacy pupils at Fiji School of Medicine. Furthermore, bulk of the pharmaceutics pupils in south Pacific are trained at Fiji School of Medicine (FSM, now Fiji National University, College of Health scientific discipline). Pharmacy pupils are selected for this research because finally they will be called for attention of AIDS or related upsets after they finished their programme. Hence, this survey will assist to implement any policy alterations that may be needed to incorporate amongst pharmaceutics pupils through agencies of wellness publicity and instruction through course of study.

Background

Social sigma towards AIDS patient has been of major concern in South Pacific and it has shown to impact direction and attitude of patient towards intervention harmonizing to survey conducted by Pacific Islands AIDS foundation. Problem of sigma non merely exist in Fiji, but besides in states around the Earth. In 1987, World Health Organisation (WHO) classified AIDS epidermics in three stage which included the epidemic of HIV, the epidemic of AIDS, and the epidemic of stigma, favoritism, and denial. The last portion is the most hard of AIDS epiderminc. Harmonizing to Peter Piot, executive manager of UNAIDS found AIDS related sigma is the most ‘continuing challenge ‘ that seems to be impacting the universe. Furthermore, deficiency of methodological tools and research in AIDS related sigma composite and diverse.

The most successful method used to prove attitude was developed by in Health Psychology diary and was subsequently validated in 1997. It was named AIDS Attitude Scale (AAS) which contained 15 points carefully selected through their research and was farther subdivide into 3 subscales viz. Fear of contagious disease, Professional opposition and negative emotions. To forestall any societal desirable replies by participants, points from Crowne-Marlowe Social Desirability was interspersed with the points.

Due to ever-increased demand for pharmaceutical attention, more druggists are to be expected in clinical direction of patients. Therefore, it becomes of import to analyze attitude of pharmaceutics pupils towards diseases peculiarly socially sensitive AIDS. Harmonizing to analyze done by Edward Krupat, pharmaceutics pupils showed negative attitude towards AIDS patient on contagious disease, emotion and professional opposition graduated tables which besides recommended alteration in instruction programme in the course of study. However, no surveies of such nature has non been done on pharmaceutics pupils in Fiji. It would be interesting to analyze attitude and associate it to independent variables such as gender and age and happen if any association exists.

Methodology

Study Design

Descriptive survey. Study will besides seek to associate variables which may be related with positive and negative attitude towards people with AIDS.

Study area/setting

Fiji School of Medicine

Survey Participants

Pharmacy pupils from old ages 1 – 4 enrolled in Bachelors of Pharmacy or Diploma in Pharmacy programme in twelvemonth 2011.

Sample Size

Approximately 80 – 100. Sample size may change as it is unknown how many pupils will come in twelvemonth 1 in 2011 and those who may go out pharmaceutics programme.

Sampling technique

Stratified sampling will be used because common feature of the samples will be pupils who will be enrolled in Bachelors in Pharmacy or Diploma in Pharmacy programme in 2011.

Data Management

Data aggregation instruments, techniques and program

AIDS Attitude Scale (AAS) will be used to mensurate attitude of pharmaceutics pupils towards AIDS. It is a 15 point instrument developed for medical and nursing pupils by for mensurating attitude towards AIDS. ASS has been successfully used in assorted researches to mensurate attitude and has been dependable and there has non been any surveies conclusive to picture uncertainness in ASS. For this research, AAS will be converted into a signifier of ego administered questionnaire and distributed to pharmaceutics pupils.

Data Entry

Data will be enter into SPSS.

Data analysis/Design of analysis signifier

Responses from 1-3 will be categorized to bespeak dissension with each of the 15 points. Similarity, responses from 4-6 will be categorized to bespeak understanding with each of the 15 points.

Statistical Methods/Analysis

Categorized informations (i.e. dissension and understanding) will be calculated of its per centum, against each 15 points in the undermentioned table format.

Items

N

n= disagree

n=agree

Contagion Subscale

• Aids makes my occupation a high hazard business
• Despite all I know about how AIDS is transmitted. I ‘m still afraid of catching it.
• I would non desire my kid to travel to school with a kid with AIDS
• I would be willing to eat in a eating house where I know the chef has AIDS
• Even following rigorous infection control step, it is likely that I would go septic with HIV, if I were working with AIDS patients over a long period of clip

Professional Resistance Subscale

• I would instead work with a better category of people than AIDS patients.
• I would prefer to mention individuals with AIDS to my professional co-workers.
• Given a pick. I would prefer non to work with AIDS patients.
• I would see altering my professional specialty/position if it became necessary to work with AIDS patients.
• It is best to develop a few specializers who would be responsible for the intervention of AIDS patients.
• I do n’t desire those at higher hazard for AIDS such as IV drug users and homophiles, as patients.

Negative Emotions Subscale

• I sometimes find it difficult to be sympathetic to AIDS patients
• I would experience resentful if AIDS patients accounted for a important portion of my caseload
• I frequently have tender, concerned feelings for people with AIDS
• I feel angry about the hazard of AIDS which homophiles have imposed on the consecutive community
• Dependability of the graduated table will be tested by calculating Cronbach ‘s alpha and listed in the undermentioned tabular array

Dependability Statistics

The second portion of analysis will be Pearson ‘s Chi squared trial to analyze any association between Contagion, Professional Resistance and negative emotions subscale against gender or twelvemonth of the pupil.