Factors Influencing the Up-Take of HIV Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) Services Among Nurses in Sumbawanga Municipality - Tanzania.

Abstract

Introduction: Human Immune deficiency virus/AIDS is posing a problem to the world especially in Sub-Saharan Africa including Tanzania. The WHO, UNAIDS and other International Organisations are making effort to increase the availability of antiretroviral drugs (ARV’s) to infected persons including HIV PEP drugs for non occupational and occupational exposure. Since its initiation in Sumbawanga Region in Tanzania in 2007, only 42 health workers had reported and initiated HIV PEP following occupational exposure. Objective: To investigate the prevalence, knowledge, health facility factors and attitudes towards HIV PEP uptake services in occupational exposure among nurses in selected facilities/hospitals at Sumbawanga Municipal Tanzania. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out where 196 of nurses who work in the Region, district hospitals and health facilities were purposively selected. A number of structured questionnaires were administered to the study participants where information regarding various factors (social demographic, prevalence, knowledge, health facility and attitudes ) leading into low HIV PEP up take, was collected and analyzed. Results: The results revealed that uptake of HIV PEP services among the nurses was still low 24.2% despite a majority of (77%) respondents who had heard about HIV PEP. It was also found that, the majority, who heard about PEP had low level of knowledge about the meaning of PEP and Occupational Exposure. Results have also shown that there was High Negative Attitude ( 54% ) towards HIV PEP among the participants.

Conclusion: Knowledge about HIV PEP and Occupational Exposure is still very low which is indicated by low prevalence of those who take PEP, and who define PEP and Occupational Exposure. Also negative attitudes towards HIV PEP, contributes to low uptake of HIV PEP services. It is recommended that knowledge should be raised through, weekly job training, (on job training), sharing of information between staff.