AIDS: experiences and attitudes of nurses from rural communities in Pennsylvania and New York.

In this study we determined rural nurses' educational preparation concerning AIDS, whether they thought their health care facilities and communities were prepared to care for persons with AIDS, their attitudes toward AIDS and homosexuality, and in what ways AIDS had or might affect their practice. A questionnaire, which included the Nurses' AIDS Attitude Scale (NAAS), was administered to 738 employed registered nurses in 9 rural counties in Pennsylvania and New York. Findings suggest that this sample held many negative attitudes towards AIDS and homosexuality and had specific educational needs, especially in the psychosocial domain. They thought rural physicians and health care facilities were not yet well prepared to care for persons with AIDS.