AIDS and the Likelihood of Invasive Treatment

A number of studies have been conducted evaluating the attitudes of physicians and other health care providers toward treating PWAs or people who have tested positive for HIV (PHIVs). However, a majority of these studies have either concentrated on house staff physicians in regions which characteristically have a high-risk population base or have targeted primary care practitioners (family practice and internal medicine). This study focuses on exposure-prone physicians primarily engaged in invasive procedures (surgeons, OB/GYN, and emergency room physi cians) who practice within a "moderate-risk" population base (SMSA with a population of 475,000).

Based on analysis of survey responses, the authors concluded that the majority of physicians engaged in exposure-prone invasive procedures are willing to treat PWA and PHIVs. Multiple discriminant analysis was utilized to determine if a relationship existed between a physician's willingness to perform elective surgery on a known AIDS patient and various demographic, behavioral, and attitudinal variables. Eight variables were found to be statistically significant, with "years in practice" having the strongest influence on "willingness."