Nurses' attitudes and beliefs regarding AIDS and patients with AIDS

A descriptive, correlational study was conducted to describe the attitudes and beliefs of registered nurses regarding Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and patients with AIDS. Attitude and belief questionnaires were collected from 106 registered nurses working in two private, nonprofit hospitals in Salt Lake City, Utah. The data revealed that the respondents held attitudes and beliefs regarding AIDS and patients with AIDS comparable with those found utilizing similar samples in current research findings. A significant correlation was found between the media as an influencing source of information and nurses' attitudes and beliefs. It was also found that the amount of continuing education has a significant impact on reducing apprehensions related to nursing practice and patients with AIDS. Further, sex, marital status, and religion were all found to have an impact on the attitudes and beliefs of the respondents in this study. No significant correlations were found between attitudes and beliefs and area of employment, level of nursing education, or age in this survey sample.