A study of knowledge, attitudes and reported practices on HIV/AIDS amongst general practitioners in Calcutta, India

HIV/AIDS is a problem of growing proportions in India. In India, patients with wide variety of illnesses seek care first from general practitioners who act as primary care providers. Calcutta has been selected for the study because there has been little information available on the HIV/AIDS situation in the city and factors such as denial, fear, and unwillingness to care for individuals with HIV/AIDS, amongst physicians have been detrimental to the care of such individuals in the city (evident from feasibility study). The research is of importance because no such study had been conducted when the project was initiated.;The objective of the research is to assess the general practitioners' (a) knowledge on HIV/AIDS, (b) attitude towards the disease and individuals with HIV/AIDS and (c) reported practices that may facilitate or prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. The behavioral theory of reasoned action and health promotion model was used as the theoretical framework. The study is cross-sectional and incorporates the triangulation method. The instrument used was a questionnaire, designed and pretested in Calcutta by the researcher. Stratified random sampling (stratified by gender) was done from a list of physicians registered in the state of West Bengal. General practitioners and physicians specialized in internal medicine practicing in Calcutta and registered in or after 1940 were considered. Letters were sent to physicians regarding the study and in-person interviews of 117 physicians (84 male and 33 female physicians) were held by the researcher.;Data analysis was done using STATA. 95.7% physicians had low knowledge score and a high proportion had fear of contagion. Most physicians are homophobic but only some said they would not provide care to a homosexual patient. A majority of physicians occasionally used disposable needles and syringes and rarely used gloves. Lack of supply was stated to be a factor. Most physicians used inappropriate methods of sterilization of sharp instruments. 97.4% physicians did not routinely take sexual history of all patients. About half the physicians do not intend to counsel patients with HIV/AIDS. 85.47% physicians would refer a patient with HIV/AIDS to another clinic, and some would never provide care to such patients.;The study will serve as a basis for future research on HIV/AIDS and general practitioners in Calcutta. The physicians' inability to diagnose AIDS will be detrimental to the patient's health and will result in under reporting of cases. Training of physicians regarding prevention, diagnosis, counseling and management of HIV/AIDS and consideration of exogenous factors while formulating policies is essential to control HIV/AIDS in Calcutta.