The knowledge of physiotherapy students about HIV infection and their attitudes towards people living with HIV

Background
The HIV pandemic is thought to have begun in the 1970s. The first cases of HIV infection in Poland were identified in 1985. As of 09/12/2019, approximately 12,382 people, including 97 children, have received antiretroviral therapy. According to the data from 2014-2018, sexual contact was the most likely (as determined by an interview collected from the person being tested) route of HIV transmission in Poland.

Aim
The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of physiotherapy students and to analyze the attitudes of future physiotherapists towards HIV infection.

Material and methods
A self-administered questionnaire was used for this study. A group of 100 physiotherapy students (72 females, 28 males) was included in the research.

Results
The students' level of knowledge was sufficient. Respondents were knowledgeable about the routes of spread and testing. They had poorer knowledge of the epidemiology and clinical picture of the infection. Students demonstrated a partial acceptance towards people living with HIV, which was mainly manifested by feeling the need to work with gloves and the need to be informed by the patient about the presence of infection. Most students believe that the curriculum does not adequately educate physiotherapists in the area of infectious diseases.

Conclusions
The students' level of knowledge was sufficient. Students demonstrated a partial acceptance towards people living with HIV. However, most of the respondents felt that the curriculum did not adequately educate them in infectious diseases.