{"id":39413,"date":"2020-12-09T07:44:46","date_gmt":"2020-12-09T07:44:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/i-base.info\/htb\/?p=39413"},"modified":"2020-12-10T19:13:55","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T19:13:55","slug":"disturbingly-low-hiv-knowledge-among-health-workers-at-london-hospital-80-unaware-of-uu-36-worried-about-their-risk-from-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/i-base.info\/htb\/39413","title":{"rendered":"Worryingly low HIV knowledge among health workers at London hospital: 80% unaware of U=U, 36% worried about their risk from patients"},"content":{"rendered":"

Simon Collins, HIV i-Base<\/strong><\/p>\n

An oral presentation at BHIVA 2020 from Moses Shongwe from Barts Health NHS Trust showed disturbing low levels of HIV awareness from a recent survey of over 400 health workers at this major London hospital that provides expert HIV care.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The single-side 10-question paper survey was distributed to staff on adult medical, surgical and critical care wards, A&E and theatres at Barts NHS Trust on three days during December 2019 and January 2020.<\/p>\n

The questions asked about confidence in treating people living with HIV, potential risks for health workers, and awareness of transmission, PEP, PrEP and U=U.<\/p>\n

Overall, 411 surveys were returned from a wide range of professions: nurses (57%), Health assistants (19%), doctors (12%) but also including pharmacists, students and other workers. Approximately one-third were age 18-29, 30% were 30-39, 21% were 40-49 and the remainder >50 years old. Other demographics included 36% white, 29% black and 27% Asian, with 91% heterosexual.<\/p>\n

The results in 2020 would actually have been alarming twenty years ago, especially coming from such a high incidence and high prevalence London borough.<\/p>\n

Four in five people (80%) had not heard about U=U and almost half thought that a needlestick injury would be a risk from a patient with undetectable viral load. 35% still thought mother to child transmission was still a high risk with undetectable viral load.<\/p>\n

Overall, 38% said they felt at risk when treating people living with HIV, 25% thought HIV positive patients should be isolated in side rooms, and 52% thought that HIV positive people should be placed at the end of operating lists<\/p>\n

More than 3 in 5 (62%) had not heard of PEP or PrEP although 45% thought PrEP could be used after a needlestick injury and 76% were not confident at talking to patients about HIV.<\/p>\n

The only positive results from the survey was that 82% of replies also asked for further information and training on HIV.<\/p>\n

comment<\/h3>\n
\n

This short study showed such low levels of HIV awareness that it is difficult to know how to respond to the disturbing results.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most people involved in HIV care hoped that the recent high profile given to PrEP and U=U would have reached the wider general public and certainly healthworkers in other fields. <\/strong><\/p>\n

This survey, especially if repeated in other trusts, shows such a low awareness that people living with HIV would very likely to receive suboptimal care. It also questions the recommendations for broad HIV disclosure to healthworkers outside of HIV.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

They also highlight the real challenge for the ongoing Fast Track City to end HIV stigma in London.<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
References<\/div>\n
    \n
  1. Shongwe M et al. Measuring health care HIV knowledge within our NHS trust. BHIVA 2020 virtual conference, 22-24 November 2020. Oral abstract O6.
    \nhttps:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/toc\/14681293\/2020\/21\/S4<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This article was first posted on 22 November 2020.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Simon Collins, HIV i-Base An oral presentation at BHIVA 2020 from Moses Shongwe from Barts Health NHS Trust showed disturbing low levels of HIV awareness from a recent survey of over 400 health workers at this major London hospital that …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,10],"tags":[304],"class_list":["post-39413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conference-reports","category-transmission-and-prevention","tag-bhiva-2020-virtual"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/i-base.info\/htb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/i-base.info\/htb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/i-base.info\/htb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/i-base.info\/htb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/i-base.info\/htb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/i-base.info\/htb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39413\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/i-base.info\/htb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/i-base.info\/htb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/i-base.info\/htb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}