A study to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of community towards home based care services for HIV/Aids patients in kitwe urban district.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of community towards Home-Based Care Services of HIV/AIDS patient in Kitwe Urban. Review of literature revealed that there are a number of influencing factors such as; age of the care provider, poverty, cultural background, stigma, health education of level, community, participation, support from relatives, education level of community, resources and supervision of care provider. A descriptive, explanatory and non-intervention type of study was used. The research was conducted in Urban Kitwe District. The population understudy was fifty (50) members of kitwe urban communities. The respondents were randomly selected. Data was collected using a structured interview schedule. Data was analyzed manually and findings presented in frequency tables and cross tabulations. The study revealed that most of the respondents had basic primary school education, their knowledge level on HBC for HIV/AIDS patient was poor/low. It was also revealed that most of the respondents had no formal training on HBC. This contributed to the misconception about the programme and the poor quality of care . The attitude of the community toward the PWAs and the programme was negative, mainly because of inadequate information on the programme. Regarding practice, the study found that most respondents described the Care as pathetic. Reason being that of not having enough supervisors, inadequate material and financial support. However the study came up with positive findings. Most respondents were willing to take part in HBC after extensive training and with adequate support from the concerned authority.