HIV communication challenges faced by HIV specialist nurses in Malaysia government hospitals

Abstract

HIV counselling is a communication process between a trained nurse and patient to discuss HIV-related problems with a view to assist the patient to manage these problems adequately and appropriately. Lack of communication about HIV-related problems exists and the fact that nurses do not address these problems appropriately could be associated with the sensitive issues involved or the lack of knowledge as how to overcome these problems. Previous studies have identified the challenges health care workers face in disseminating HIV-related information. However, there is an apparent lack of research examining the challenges faced by HIV specialist nurses in Malaysia. Hence, this paper aims to explore the communication challenges faced by HIV specialist nurses in three general hospitals in Malaysia. Five focus group discussions (25 HIV specialist nurses) have been recorded, transcribed and translated. Thirteen communication challenges have been identified and contended for further research exploring communication during HIV counselling by focusing on the impact of these challenges towards HIV specialist nurses’ advice and information giving.