The Efficacy of HIV Education on Improving Attitudes and Reducing Stigmas for Nursing Students

Academic Paper from the year 2017 in the subject Pedagogy - Job Education, Occupational Training, Further Education, grade: 100, University of Central Florida (School of Nursing), language: English, abstract: HIV/AIDS is a very present pandemic and has claimed the lives of more than 35 million people worldwide. Persons living with HIV/AIDS often require health care during the course of their disease and in an array of healthcare settings. Nurses are often the frontrunners of patient care and it is essential that care is provided without bias, stigma or poor attitudes towards the patient. Although some countries offer HIV/AIDS education to student nurses, few have mandatory and standardized HIV/AIDS education. This review includes four studies that compare the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS education on stigmas and attitudes towards PLWHA. In consideration of the growing numbers of PLWHA, nursing students may benefit from generalized education to address attitudes and stigmas towards any patient, not just the PLWHA.