HIV testing counselling: possibilities of prevention of infection

Objective. To investigate healthcare workers’ awareness of HIV testing counselling. Subjects and methods. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 128 specialists within certification training cycles in 2017 The survey participants made up 4 groups: 3 groups according to the territory (Group 1 included respondents (n = 34) in Nizhny Novgorod; Group 2 consisted of those (n = 25) in Chelyabinsk; Group 3 comprised those (n = 22) in Moscow). Group 4 (n = 47) included the employees of molecular diagnosis centers, who were trained, attending the thematic workshop for counselling skills during HIV testing. The indicator questions about the purposes of HIV testing counseling, about differences in preventive methods, and about the mechanisms improving their effectiveness. Results. There were two views of respondents about the purpose of HIV testing counseling: to inform about various issues associated with HIV infection and to change infection-related behavior. The majority of respondents noted no distinction between counselling and informing and also favored that there was a direct relationship between behavior and the information received. Conclusion. The prevention work based solely on informing cannot effectively curb the HIV epidemic. The emotional component of attitude towards the choice of the mode of behavior while informing is not considerably changed and requires the use of dialogic communication.

HIV infection, prevention, examination, counselling