THE SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF ATTITUDE OF VARIOUS CATEGORIES OF MEDICAL PERSONNEL OF MUNICIPAL MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS TO HIV-INFECTED PATIENTS

The article presents results of medical sociological survey of attitude of various categories of medical personnel of municipal medical institutions of the Irkutskaia oblast to HIV-infected patients. The study used qualitative and quantitative sociological techniques that permitted to obtain representative data about characteristics of attitude of medical workers to patients and to establish risks of professional contamination and factors effecting development of models of behavior of medical workers in the system of relationships "physician-patient". The sociological survey fixed ambiguous and contradictory character of attitude of medical workers to HIV-infected patients related to fear of professional risk of contamination. The correlation and typological analysis permitted to establish stigmatization and discrimination of HIV-infected individuals manifesting at emotional psychological and behavioral levels and fixing in striving of particular groups of respondents to isolate HIV-infected patients. The results of survey testify necessity of development in all categories of medical personnel rational pragmatic attitudes of perception of risk of contamination permitting to manage this perception and to develop program of psychological and behavioral trainings for various categories of medical workers.

HIV-infected patients, categories of medical workers, risk of professional contamination, fear of contamination, discrimination, stigmatization, type of negative attitude