Nursing Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes towards HIV/AIDS Patients

This study investigated nursing student attitudes and knowledge about HIV/AIDS at different levels of study in nursing and the association between attitudes and knowledge. Participant attitudes were measured using the HIV Impact Questionnaire: Student Form. Knowledge was measured with questions adapted from Ferguson, Cox, Irving, Leiter, & Farnsworth’s (1995) measure. A convenience sample of 146 baccalaureate students from a large Midwestern college of Nursing completed a self-administered questionnaire. Both knowledge (F=7.31, p=.001) and attitudes (F=5.80, p=.004) about HIV/AIDS significantly improved with year of study in nursing. There was a positive correlation between attitudes and knowledge (r=.31, p<.01). This supports previous research findings and suggests that nursing student attitudes can be significantly improved as a result of completing a nursing program