HIV in Health Care Workers: Managing Fear through a Telephone Information Line

In 1991, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, PA, revealed to the public that an operating room technician had tested HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)-positive. The hospital released the information to the press, established a 24-hour telephone information line, & offered free HIV testing....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social work (New York) 1995-11, Vol.40 (6), p.819-822
Main Authors: Polinko, Paul, Bradley, William F., Molyneaux, Bruce, Lukoff, Carol, Erlen, Jonathon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
AIDS
AIDS/HIV
Allied Health Personnel
Child health services
Children
Disease Control
Disease risk
Employment Level
Fear
Health Personnel
Health professionals
Health Professions
HIV
HIV patients
HIV Seropositivity - psychology
Hospitals
Human immunodeficiency virus
Humans
Information
Information Services
Medical personnel
Notes from the Field
Operating rooms
Paraprofessional Personnel
Patients
Perceptions
Practice
Public Opinion
Public relations
Public Support
Social aspects
Social research
Social work
Social workers
Telephone
Telephone Communications
Telephone hotlines
Telephone lines
Telephone services
Telephones
USA
Venereal Diseases
Viruses
Worksheets
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Summary:In 1991, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, PA, revealed to the public that an operating room technician had tested HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)-positive. The hospital released the information to the press, established a 24-hour telephone information line, & offered free HIV testing. In less than 2 months, 7,000+ calls were received by 57 information line workers who were surveyed as to their perceptions of the callers. Recurrent themes that emerged included: ignorance regarding how HIV is transmitted; prejudice & threats against people with HIV; misperceptions about hospital practices & terminology; & anxiety about risk of infection. Some 334 people had HIV blood tests performed as a result of the information line. It is contended that information lines should be staffed by people with good clinical & communication skills who have undergone HIV training. 6 References. M. Greenberg
ISSN:0037-8046
1545-6846
1545-6846
DOI:10.1093/sw/40.6.819