Professional attitude of health care workers toward serving HIV/AIDS patients and drug users: questionnaire design and evaluation of reliability and validity

Abstract

The manner in which health care workers (HCWs) interact with HIV/AIDS patients and drug users during their work clearly influences the sustainability of harm reduction programs. To evaluate the professional attitudes of HCWs, we designed a questionnaire with four constructs – discrimination, acceptance of HIV/AIDS patients, acceptance of drug users, and fear – and tested its reliability and validity. Ten experts rated the questionnaire and the mean content validity index was 85.6%. Analysis of 251 anonymous questionnaires from HCWs in Taiwan yielded a composite reliability and Cronbach's α for the four constructs of >0.7. First-order and second-order confirmatory factor analysis revealed a χ ²/degrees of freedom <3, goodness-of-fit index (GFI) >0.9, adjusted goodness-of-fit index (AGFI) >0.9, Bentler–Bonnett normal fix index >0.9, and a root mean square error of approximation between 0.00 and 0.07 indicating a good fit of the model. HCWs with training in HRPs or AIDS prevention had higher questionnaire scores than those without such training, indicating good known-group validity.

Keywords:

• HIV/AIDS patients
• drug users
• health care workers
• professional attitude
• reliability
• validity

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Public Health Bureau of Taoyuan, Taiwan (GMRPD1610121). We also thank for the grant from the Ministry of Education, Taiwan (EMRPD170101) for research assistants' salary.