Dataset Information

Health and medical professionals' antenatal HIV testing practices and perceived barriers to routine testing in Tasmania, Australia: a qualitative study.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

This study sought to explore health and medical professionals' antenatal HIV testing practices and the perceived barriers to routine testing in Tasmania, Australia.

Design

This qualitative study undertook a Foucauldian-informed discourse analysis of 23 one-to-one semistructured phone interviews. The focus of our analysis was on language as a medium for interactions between clinicians and their patients.

Setting

Primary health care and antenatal health services in the north, northwest and southern Tasmania, Australia.

Participants

Twenty-three health and medical professionals (midwives (n=10), general practitioners (n=9) and obstetricians (n=4)) providing antenatal care.

Results

Antenatal HIV testing is practised within a discourse of ambiguous terminology, stigma and the perception that HIV is a theoretical risk, generating confusion among clinicians as to how and who is tested. This creates clinical hesitancy towards antenatal HIV testing, a barrier to universal prenatal HIV testing.

Conclusion

Antenatal HIV testing is undertaken within a discordant discourse generating clinical hesitancy where HIV is perceived as a theoretical risk and surrounded by stigma. Using neutral language and replacing the words 'routine' and 'recommended' with 'universal' testing in public health policy and clinical guidelines could increase health providers' confidence and reduce ambiguity and the legacy of HIV stigma.

SUBMITTER: Ayton JE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9990605 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Health and medical professionals' antenatal HIV testing practices and perceived barriers to routine testing in Tasmania, Australia: a qualitative study.

Ayton Jennifer Elizabeth JE Bennett-Daly Grace G Nguyen Amy A Owen Louise L

BMJ open 20230306 3

<h4>Objectives</h4>This study sought to explore health and medical professionals' antenatal HIV testing practices and the perceived barriers to routine testing in Tasmania, Australia.<h4>Design</h4>This qualitative study undertook a Foucauldian-informed discourse analysis of 23 one-to-one semistructured phone interviews. The focus of our analysis was on language as a medium for interactions between clinicians and their patients.<h4>Setting</h4>Primary health care and antenatal health services in ...[more]

PMID: 36878657

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Project description:BackgroundThe involvement of the undergraduates in the research field requires a better view of their potential and the anticipated barriers facing them. This study aims to assess the undergraduates' knowledge, attitudes, practices and perceived barriers towards research in six Arab countries.MethodsA cross sectional study included medical students from six Arab countries, where a self-administered five-section questionnaire was used to assess the students' demographics, knowledge, attitudes, practices and perceived barriers. The questionnaire was distributed in the online educational platforms of the participating medical schools in the six included countries.ResultsThe total sample of recruited students was 2989, the majority of students (91.6%) showed poor level of knowledge regarding research. Generally high levels of positive attitudes towards research, research relevance and usefulness were found, with moderate levels of perception of research anxiety and difficulty. 33.7% (n = 1006) participated in an actual research project before with a mean of .5 publications per student. Cross-sectional studies were the most common type of studies conducted by students (38.6%), followed by case reports (23.9%). Lack of access to lab equipment for lab research (68.1%), the priority of education over research (66.8%), and lack of time because of educational tasks (66.1%) were generally the top perceived barriers towards research practice.ConclusionIn the current study, the participants showed a poor knowledge level with associated positive attitudes towards research. One third of the students participated in research projects that mostly were cross-sectional studies and case reports. Educational tasks and lack of support were the most prevalent barriers. The students' positive attitudes towards research need to be translated into better knowledge and appropriate practice, which can be done by development of better training systems and more structured mentoring.

Project description:ObjectivesInternationally, public health strategies encourage health care professionals to deliver opportunistic behaviour change interventions. The present study: (1) examines the barriers and enablers to delivering interventions during routine consultations, and (2) provides recommendations for the design of interventions to increase delivery of opportunistic behaviour change interventions.DesignQualitative interview study.MethodsTwenty-eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with patient-facing health care professionals. The Behaviour Change Wheel informed a framework analysis in which findings were mapped onto the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Intervention functions and behaviour change techniques (BCTs) targeting each TDF domain were identified.ResultsHealth care professionals understood the importance of opportunistic behaviour change interventions (beliefs about consequences), but were sceptical about their capabilities to facilitate behaviour change with patients (beliefs about capabilities). Some clinicians were unwilling to discuss behaviours perceived as unrelated to the patient's visit (social/professional role and identity). Discipline-specific tasks were prioritized, and delivering interventions was perceived as psychologically burdensome. One-to-one contact was favoured over busy hospital settings (environmental context and resources). Seven intervention functions (training, restriction, environmental restructuring, enablement, education, persuasion, and modelling) and eight BCT groupings (antecedents, associations, comparison of outcomes, covert learning, feedback and monitoring, natural consequences, reward and threat, and self-belief) were identified.ConclusionsAcross disciplines, health care professionals see the value of opportunistic behaviour change interventions. Barriers related to workload, the clinical environment, competence, and perceptions of the health care professional role must be addressed, using appropriate intervention functions and BCTs, in order to support health care professionals to increase the delivery of interventions in routine practice. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Brief, opportunistic interventions can be a cost effective way of addressing population health problems. Public health policies compel health care professionals to deliver behaviour change interventions opportunistically. Health care professionals do not always deliver interventions opportunistically during routine medical consultations; however the barriers and enablers are currently unclear. What does this study add? This is the first study to examine cross-disciplinary barriers and enablers to delivering opportunistic behaviour change interventions. Across diverse professional groups, working in different medical professions, participants saw the value of delivering opportunistic behaviour change interventions. Targeting key theoretical domains that are shared across professional groups may be useful for increasing the delivery of opportunistic behaviour change interventions.

Dataset Information

Health and medical professionals' antenatal HIV testing practices and perceived barriers to routine testing in Tasmania, Australia: a qualitative study.

Objectives

Design

Setting

Participants

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Health and medical professionals' antenatal HIV testing practices and perceived barriers to routine testing in Tasmania, Australia: a qualitative study.

Similar Datasets

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