Knowledge about HIV prevention and attitude towards people living with HIV/AIDS of foreign students from the Medical University of Varna, Bulgaria

Introduction: Medical students, future physicians of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV), are a key group to whom targeted knowledge and adequate training should be directed in order to provide patient care without prejudice.Aim: The aim of this article is to evaluate the knowledge about prevention, diagnosis, treatment of HIV and the attitude towards sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among medical students at the Medical University of Varna, Bulgaria.Materials and Methods: A total of 100 students were surveyed using anonymous questionnaire. The data were entered in Microsoft Excel and processed for the needs of the study with a documentary, statistical, and graphical method.Results: The analysis shows that according to the survey > 90% of students believe the early diagnosis/treatment increases the life expectancy of PLHIV, 78% chose Treatment can reduce the chance of HIV transmission, 94% can work/study with an HIV infected individual, 74% would not cut off their contacts with PLHIV, and 78% are not afraid to serve HIV-seropositive patients. However, 15% are not sure and 9% would do so only after a negative HIV test. These doubts are also confirmed in the opinion about the need to test for HIV all who seek medical care according to 67%, and only those subject to hospitalization according to 31%.Conclusion: According to the survey, students have correct knowledge about HIV prevention and a positive attitude towards PLHIV, but there are also some negative attitudes. Increasing HIV knowledge is an effective behavioral intervention in a variety of contexts. Universities are of utmost importance in achieving this goal.