Investigation of family physicians' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding HİV/AİDS disease and patients a specialization thesis from the department of family medicine

The number of individuals infected with HIV continues to increase every year, both globally and in our country. For these individuals, the development of AIDS becomes an inevitable outcome if they do not receive a diagnosis or if there is a delay in diagnosis. Many of these individuals initially seek help from primary care physicians, such as family doctors, with non-specific symptoms and signs. Family doctors play an important role in this regard. In our study, we aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of family doctors working in Eskişehir regarding HIV/AIDS disease and patients. The research was planned as a cross-sectional descriptive survey. A total of 115 primary care physicians, 39 family medicine specialists, and 72 family medicine research assistants working in Eskişehir were included in the study. The survey form used to collect data includes questions on sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge about HIV/AIDS disease, and attitudes and behaviors towards these patients. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 25.0, with a confidence interval of 95% and a significance level of p<0.05. Of the participants who took part in the survey, 121 (53.5%) were female, and 105 (45.6%) were male. When the knowledge scores were evaluated, the mean scores for knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors were found to be 21±2.2, 29±4.9, and 39.1±7.3, respectively. When analyzing the participants' responses, it was found that family medicine specialists were significantly more knowledgeable compared to primary care physicians and research assistants. However, no significant difference was observed in attitudes and behaviors among the three groups when analyzed according to their titles. In conclusion, although the majority of the participants had a sufficient level of basic knowledge about the disease, it was still observed that some physicians lacked adequate knowledge. This suggests that education on HIV/AIDS disease should be conducted at regular intervals