Barriers to HIV Care and Treatment by Doctors: A review of the literature

ABSTRACT

This paper provides a review of the reported barriers that prevent doctors from managing HIV infected patients. The four most commonly reported barriers were fear of contagion; fear of losing patients; unwillingness to care; and inadequate knowledge /training about treating HIV patients. Barriers to treating HIV infected patients is frequently reported in many countries and it is important for developing countries such as South Africa to learn from these experiences by identifying local problems so that constructive interventions and strategies can be developed to address these barriers; thereby improving the quality of patient care. Further research in respect of the local situation is required. Introduction Over the last two decades acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has emerged as one of the most serious public health problems in the world; and by the end of 2003 it was estimated that 5.3 million South Africans were human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive; which corresponds to 21.5