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ABSTRACT In Vietnam, HIV-related stigma and discrimination in the health care setting has been recognized as an important issue. This presentation describes the impact of interventions to reduce stigma in two Vietnamese hospitals. The study compared the impact of interventions that address two underlying causes of stigma: health workers' fear of contagion and negative value judgments toward people living with HIV. One hospital received a fear-reduction intervention and the other a combined intervention. Baseline and endline survey data were collected among all hospital workers (n = 344 at baseline). Qualitative interviews with staff and HIV-positive patients and structured observations of hospital practices also were conducted. Monitoring visits took place monthly to track changes. At baseline, hospital workers were largely fearful of patients with HIV because of misconceptions surrounding risks of contagion, and many reported blaming attitudes toward PLHA. This was accompanied by discriminatory behaviors such as patient isolation, labeling, and avoidance. The resulting interventions included training for hospital staff, developing hospital policies, and supporting the hospital to modify the structural environment. During the monitoring visits, various positive changes were observed in one or both hospitals (e.g. HIV-positive patients in the hospital were no longer wearing specially marked clothes), and the combined intervention hospital demonstrated more changes. Lessons learned include that partnering with each hospital to design the intervention was key to building support, and that involving all categories of hospital staff (e.g., doctors, guards) in the training was important for promoting a stigma-free environment. Learning objectives
Poster Session 5014.1—HIV Treatment and Prevention Issues for
Diverse Communities This page updated |
