HIV as a Chronic Disease: Are Primary CarePhysicians Ready?

Abstract

Objective: As HIV infection is becoming a chronic entity, the role of primary care physicians (PCPs) in diagnosis and treatment is getting more significant. We aimed to assess theattitude and competency of the PCPs about HIV infection compared to other specialtiesand describe the areas for improvement.Materials and Methods: A survey was conducted between 1-31 May 2017 among physiciansfrom different specialties. The questions related to HIV infection in their clinical practice,competency, and knowledge about the transmission and preventability of the disease andtheir attitude towards suspected patients were asked.Results: We included 492 physicians in the study, consisting of PCPs (32%), infectious diseasespecialists (IDSs) (13%), internal medicine specialists (IMSs) (30%) and surgeons (25%),practicing in 25 different cities in Turkey. When asked about HIV, 98% of IDSs considered it as achronic disease, with 35% thinking that it is similar to non-communicable disease (DiabetesMellitus, Hypertension, Lymphoma). HIV was not a curable disease according to 87% of PCPs,and 21% in IDSs. The 70% of PCPs thought that HIV infection could be transmitted withvectors (p