Greta Tam
School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Title: Changes in medical students’ attitudes towards HIV/AIDS over the past decade
Biography
Biography: Greta Tam
Abstract
Objectives: HIV epidemiology has changed in the past decade and attitude towards the disease may also have changed. We conducted a survey to compare medical students’ attitudes towards HIV/AIDS in the recent years (2014-2017) to a decade ago (2007-2010).
Methods: From 2007-2010, we surveyed three cohorts of medical students at the end of clinical training to assess their attitudes towards HIV/AIDS. From 2014-2017, we surveyed another three cohorts of medical students finishing clinical training to compare changes in attitudes towards HIV/AIDS over a decade.
Results: From 2007-2010, 546 students were surveyed and from 2014-2017, 504 students were surveyed. All participants were included in the analysis. Significantly less students in recent years were exposed to HIV patients for the first time during their HIV clinic attachment (72% vs 39%, odds ratio (OR) 0.25, 95% CI 0.18-0.34). Significantly more students planned to specialize in HIV medicine (2% vs 11%, odds ratio (OR) 9.46, 95% CI 4.75-18.84), while significantly less students prefer not to work in a field involving HIV/AIDS (17% vs 11%, odds ratio (OR) 0.57, 95% CI 0.4-0.83). Willingness of students to provide HIV care remained the same, with 22% of students unwilling to provide care.
Conclusions: Despite more positive attitudes of future doctors towards HIV/AIDS in relation to career choice, the willingness of future doctors to provide HIV care has remained unchanged in the past decade.