Lin Chunqing, Li Li, Wan Dai, Wu Zunyou, Yan Zhihua
Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Center for Community Health, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
AIDS Care. 2012;24(11):1341-8. doi: 10.1080/09540121.2011.648602. Epub 2012 Jan 31.
This study aims to investigate health care providers' empathy levels and its association with avoidance in providing service to patients living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in China. A total of 1760 health service providers were randomly sampled from 40 county hospitals in two provinces of China. Using a self-administered questionnaire, participants' demographic characteristics, work history, empathy level, and avoidance attitudes toward PLWHA were collected in a cross-sectional survey. Empathy was higher among participants aged 31-40 years, those who had an associated medical degree, and those who had served in the medical profession for less than 20 years. Nurses, younger providers, and providers with lower education tended to avoid contact with PLWHA. Multiple linear regression model showed that a higher level of empathic attitude toward patients was significantly negatively associated with avoidance attitude toward PLWHA. Service providers' empathy level plays an important role in providing quality care to HIV-infected patients. Future stigma reduction interventions should cultivate empathy as a platform for understanding, effective communication, and trusting provider-patient relationships. PLWHA could potentially benefit from attitudinal change in medical settings.
本研究旨在调查中国医疗服务提供者的共情水平及其与避免为艾滋病毒/艾滋病患者（PLWHA）提供服务之间的关联。从中国两个省份的40家县级医院中随机抽取了1760名医疗服务提供者。在一项横断面调查中，使用自填式问卷收集了参与者的人口统计学特征、工作经历、共情水平以及对PLWHA的回避态度。31至40岁的参与者、拥有相关医学学位的参与者以及从事医疗行业不到20年的参与者的共情水平较高。护士、年轻的医疗服务提供者以及受教育程度较低的医疗服务提供者往往会避免与PLWHA接触。多元线性回归模型显示，对患者更高水平的共情态度与对PLWHA的回避态度显著负相关。医疗服务提供者的共情水平在为艾滋病毒感染患者提供优质护理方面发挥着重要作用。未来减少耻辱感的干预措施应将培养共情作为理解、有效沟通和建立信任的医患关系的平台。PLWHA可能会受益于医疗环境中的态度转变。
