Using case vignettes to measure HIV-related stigma among health professionals in China

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Abstract
Background We examined Chinese health professionals’ attitudes towards patients with AIDS vs patients with hepatitis B. Methods A representative sample of 1101 Chinese health professionals was used. Prejudicial attitudes and willingness to interact were measured based on two case vignettes. Results Statistical analyses revealed that health professionals had negative biases against acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients and reported much less willingness to interact with AIDS patients than hepatitis B patients. Perceived risk of infection at work was also negatively associated with willingness to interact with patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS, but relationships varied by profession. Conclusions This study underscores the importance of developing and implementing stigma reduction interventions in health care settings to address attitudinal biases and discrimination in clinical practice.