Negative Physician Attitudes Toward HIV-Infected Injection Drug Users

Lin Ding, Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues surveyed a representative sample of 2,864 HIV-infected patients and their physicians to determine if negative attitudes toward HIV-infected injection drug users affected the patient's exposure to highly active antiretroviral therapy, reported problems, satisfaction with care, unmet needs, or perceived access to care.

The researchers found that 23.2 percent of HIV-infected patients had physicians with negative attitudes toward injection drug users. Injection drug users who were cared for by physicians with negative attitudes had a significantly lower rate of exposure to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) than either patients treated by physicians with more positive attitudes or patients who were not injection drug users. Physician attitudes were not associated with any other problems with care.