Effectiveness of an AIDS education program on knowledge, attitudes, and practices of state employees

Abstract

While the number of companies employing HIV infected workers has more than tripled since 1985, only 10% of American corporations have policies for dealing with persons infected with HIV. The occupational health nurse is in a unique position to influence the attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors of workers in promoting a safe and productive work environment and reducing high risk activities. While the number of all individuals with AIDS has increased 4,000% in the last 6 years, there has been no reported increase in the percentage of HIV infected health care workers as compared with other occupations. An evaluation of an AIDS educational program revealed that while knowledge base was fairly high, statistically significant improvements were noted from pretest to retest in specific knowledge, attitude, and practice items.