Cross-national HIV infection control practices and fear of AIDS: a comparison between Nigeria and the USA
Essien, E.J.; Ross, M.W.; Ezedinachi, E.N.; Meremikwu, M.
International Journal of Std and Aids 8(12): 764-771
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0956-4624 PMID: 9433951 DOI: 10.1258/0956462971919246Document Number: 271369
HIV infection control practices and fear of AIDS were compared in 388 health care workers (doctors, nurses, nursing aides, and laboratory technologists) at major university teaching hospitals in Houston, Texas (US), and Calabar, Nigeria, in 1994. The mean duration of hospital employment was 9.2 years in Nigeria and 9.1 years in the US sample. The mean probability of treating a patient with AIDS in the next 12 months was estimated at 29.3% in Nigeria and 54.3% in the US. Nigerian hospital workers were as likely as their US counterparts to observe infection control practices such as carrying sharps in puncture-proof containers when they knew a patient had AIDS, but were not as compliant if the patient's serostatus was unknown. Differences in infection control practices were related to cross-national and not demographic or occupational factors. In the US, but not in Nigeria, there was a significant correlation between practices such as recapping of syringes by hand and fear of AIDS, regardless of prior knowledge of HIV status. The significantly stronger association between fear of AIDS and compliance with infection control practices in the US compared to Nigeria may reflect the higher HIV prevalence, more widespread availability of disposable equipment, stricter enforcement of infection control laws, and lower provider-patient ratios in the US setting.