Stigmatizing attitudes toward people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) among primary health care providers in Kinta District, Perak

@#Background: Stigmatizing attitudes expressed by health care providers prevent some members of at-risk populations from accessing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening and care. This attitude contributes to the continuity of the infection dissemination within our community, which gives an impact on the healthcare service and the curtailment of the global HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) pandemic. Objective: This study was conducted to identify stigmatizing attitudes toward people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and their determinants among primary health care providers in Kinta District, Perak. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 36 primary care clinics in Kinta District, Perak. Using stratified random sampling, 365 primary health care providers were recruited into the study. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain sociodemographic data as well as information on the healthcare experiences of healthcare providers, their knowledge of HIV/AIDS, and attitudes toward PLWHA. Determinants were identified using multiple linear regression. Results: More than half of the respondents (54.1%) had never provided care to HIV/AIDS patients. A minority (29.9%) had received training on HIV/AIDS. This study shows that doctors (Coef.= -9.50, 95% CI: -18.93, -0.07, p= 0.048), respondents with HIV-positive relatives, (Coef.= -5.61, 95% CI: -10.57, -0.65, p= 0.027), those who had provided care to HIV/AIDS patients (Coef.= -2.38, 95% CI: -4.31, -0.45, p= 0.016), and those with a higher knowledge score on HIV/AIDS (Coef.= -0.86, 95% CI: -1.59, -0.13, p= 0.021) were less likely to show stigmatizing attitudes toward PLWHA. Conclusion: The issue of stigmatizing attitudes toward PLWHA among primary health care providers needs to be addressed. This study finds that knowledge, profession, experiences with caring for PLWHA, gender, and having HIV-positive relatives are significant predictors of stigmatizing attitudes toward PLWHA among primary health care providers in Kinta District, Perak. Interventional programs to improve knowledge and awareness, as well as decrease stigma toward PLWHA, should be implemented among all health care providers, especially those who have no opportunity to provide direct care.

Oral leukoplakia: Management protocol for primary health-care providers and family physicians

Oral cancer is very common in India. Most of the oral cancers develop on a potentially malignant (precancerous) lesion. Leukoplakia is the most common precancerous lesion in the oral cavity. The malignant transformation rate of oral leukoplakia is very high. There is no marker to distinguish those lesions that may transform to frank cancer from those that may not. Thus, early identification of oral leukoplakia and its proper treatment is important for best prognosis. This article highlights on the diagnosis and treatment protocol for oral leukoplakia.

Study on residents' satisfaction of basic public health services of urban and rural primary health care institutions / 中国卫生政策研究

Objective:To analyze the satisfaction degree and influencing factors of basic public health services in urban and rural areas in Hubei province,and to provide the evidence for further improvement of the quality of basic public health services. Methods:A total of 12 primary health institutions (6 urban community health service centers and 6 rural township hospitals) were selected from Wuhan,Huanggang,Jingzhou of Hubei Province. A questionnaire survey was conducted on the satisfaction,accessibility,comfort,safety and effectiveness of basic public health services among 719 residents. Results:The overall urban and rural residents'satisfaction score of basic public health service was 71.62 points,and the total satisfaction rate was 73.44%. The urban residents overall satisfaction score was 74.67 points,and the overall satisfaction rate was 75. 34%. The rural residents overall satisfaction score was 67.64 points,and the overall satisfaction rate was 71.52%. Among the specific indicators,the most satisfactory items were the convenience of visits (83.03%),privacy protection (80.25%),and indicators least satisfactory were medical technology(61.61%)and equipment facilities(64.53%). Logistics regression analy-sis showed that accessibility,comfort and safety of basic public health services had a greater impact on community residents' satisfaction;and gender and annual medical expenditure had a certain impact on residents'satisfaction. Conclusions:The over-all satisfaction of basic public health services in urban and rural residents of Hubei province is at a general level and still to be promoted. Urban residents'satisfaction is higher than that of the rural area. The basic public health services should further strengthen the quality improvement to further promote the equalization of basic public health services in rural as in urban areas.