Document 0627
 DOCN  M95A0627
 TI    Physicians' attitudes towards a notification program of
       transfusion-related HIV risk in pediatric cardiac surgical patients.
       American Pediatric Society 104th annual meeting and Society for
       Pediatric Research 63rd annual meeting; 1994 May 2-5; Seattle.
 DT    9510
 AU    McCrindle BW; King SM; Newman A; Murphy T; Corey M; Poon AO; Freedom RM;
       Dept. of Peds., Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.
 SO    Pediatr AIDS HIV Infect. 1994 Oct;5(5):317 (unnumbered abstract). Unique
       Identifier : AIDSLINE AIDS/95330417
 AB    STUDY AIM: To determine demographic, practice and attitudinal factors
       that predict physicians' acceptance of a patient notification program of
       transfusion-related HIV exposure. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: All responsible
       physicians for 1793 children who underwent open heart surgery between
       1979 and November, 1985 at the Hosp. for Sick Children were sent a mail
       questionnaire together with a request to contact, counsel and screen the
       patient. RESULTS: A responsible physician responded for 838 (47%)
       patients, with completed questionnaires returned from 574 physicians.
       Only 3% of physicians did not believe that at-risk transfusion
       recipients should be notified of their HIV risk, and 8% did not believe
       these patients should be screened. Physician gender, year of graduation
       or practice type did not predict agreement with notification, while more
       subspecialist pediatricians (17%) were not in favour of notification
       compared to other physician types (2%; p < 0.002). In multivariate
       analyses, practice characteristics predictive of disagreement with
       notification included that the physician did not routinely take a
       history for risk factors of HIV infection (Odds ratio 6.1, p < 0.02) and
       did not encourage transfusion-related HIV-exposed patients to be
       screened (OR 5.6, p < 0.002); attitudinal factors included the belief
       that the risk of HIV infection from a single unit of unscreened blood in
       Canada was too low to be of clinical importance (OR 4.7, p < 0.02). The
       most significant barriers to physicians screening these patients were
       concerns about the patient's/family's potential reaction to discussion
       of HIV exposure, followed by a lack of enough knowledge about HIV risks
       and infection to feel comfortable with counselling. CONCLUSIONS: While
       the majority of physicians are in favour of a notification program,
       significant educational deficits and attitudinal barriers need to be
       addressed.
 DE    *Attitude of Health Personnel  Blood Transfusion/*ADVERSE EFFECTS  Child
       *Communication  *Heart Surgery  Human  HIV
       Infections/PSYCHOLOGY/*TRANSMISSION  Physicians/*PSYCHOLOGY
       *Professional-Family Relations  MEETING ABSTRACT  JOURNAL ARTICLE

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