Attitudes of Japanese physicians not specializing in care toward people living with HIV and their care.

BACKGROUND

Although Japan has successfully mitigated HIV infections, several issues related to the disease remain to be addressed. As the people living with HIV are aging, their medical care needs are expected to become more diversified and regionalized. Those residing beyond the boundaries of specialized hospitals will rely on general physicians for medical services. Hence, general physicians must have a non-discriminatory medical attitude toward people living with HIV and give more ethical consideration than for other diseases, such as privacy protection. Therefore, a nationwide survey was conducted to clarify the attitudes of general physicians, who do not specialize in HIV treatment, toward HIV and people living with HIV.

METHODS

An online questionnaire-based quantitative survey (February 14-16, 2022) yielded 212 valid responses. Questions covered proactivity in HIV care, attitudes toward ethical issues, and awareness of HIV in the context of stigmas. Although the sample size was small due to limited feasibility, similar populations were obtained in terms of distribution of mean age, gender, and type of practice, compared to official physician statistics.

RESULTS

Approximately 20% of respondents answered that refusing medical care due to HIV infection is acceptable. Younger physicians tended to be more negative toward HIV treatment, and, regardless of age, the negative attitude is correlated with aversion toward HIV infection itself.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings aligned with concerning situations in Japan highlighted by other studies. They also suggested that more careful attitudes may be needed regarding the protection of the privacy of people living with HIV. However, research has also suggested that some physicians could become more positive by providing specialist support for the treatment and prevention of HIV infection. Large-scale and ongoing surveys are imperative to continuously implement effective and reliable interventions that could change the attitudes of general physicians toward people living with HIV.